Onyx's Re-Education
by Ariao
Summary: Ever wonder how Onyx got her position in the first place? Well, wonder no more. Take a step inside the mind of younger Onyx and see just how this gem went from soldier to gaining the highest position in the Diamond Authority military. Side note: events here take place about 1,000 years before Snowflakes in the Night. Side companion to the Snowflake Set. I only own the OC's Plot.
1. Character List

_Leaders_

Yellow Diamond – yellow gem with sunbaked yellow eyes and pointy pale yellow hair. Usually dressed in a neon yellow jumpsuit. Gem is located on the back of the neck, just above the start of the spine.

Blue Diamond – dark blue gem with navy eyes and short blue hair. Usually dressed in a dark blue flowing dress with a black sash around the waist. Gem is located on the back between the shoulders. Water element.

Grey Diamond – steely grey gem with grey-black eyes and braided silver-grey hair. Usually dressed in a grey-black suit with the legs fading to a silver color. Gem is located on the forehead.

Pink Diamond – light pink gem with pink rose eyes and thick curly pink hair. Usually dressed in a pink-white ball-gown dress. Gem is located on the belly, where a bellybutton would be. Healing element.

 _Generals_

Amber – amber colored gem with dark golden eyes and amber-gold hair that usually hangs over one eyes. Usually dressed in a long, flowing, bright golden robe with a black sash. Gem is located just above the stomach. Chosen weapon: rapier. General serving under Crystal for the test; Training Supervisor under Pink Diamond's command.

Topaz – pale orange-gold gem with very pale orange hair and bright golden eyes. Usually dressed in a robe that matches her gem color with a white sash and pale golden gloves. Gem is located at the top of the head, just below the hairline. Chosen weapon: mace. General serving under Onyx for the test; normally under Yellow Diamond. Oldest general in service to the Diamond Authority.

Zircon – dark blue-and-orange gem with black hair and dark blue eyes. Usually dressed in a dark blue battle suit. Gem is located at the base of the throat. Chosen weapon: spiked knuckles. General serving under Onyx for the test; normally under Pink Diamond.

Tanzanite – green gem with dark hazel eyes and bright orange hair. Usually dressed in an orange-and-green suit with a black bowtie. Gem is located at the base of the throat. Chosen weapon: javelin. General serving under Jasper for the test, normally under Yellow Diamond.

Agate – icy blue-grey gem with pale blue-grey eyes and white hair that covers one eye. Usually dressed in a dark grey dress with a blue diamond pattern. Gem is located on the back of her left hand. Chosen weapon: plasma cannon. General serving under Jasper for the test, normally under Grey Diamond.

Aquamarine – icy blue (almost white) gem with pale blue eyes and white hair. Usually dressed in a blue jumpsuit that fades to an ice blue near the hands and feet. Gem is located on the forehead. Chosen weapon: spiked whip. General serving under Emerald for the test, normally under Yellow Diamond.

Kunzite – pale lavender gem with violet eyes and light pink hair. Usually dressed in a large lavender colored flowing dress with a jagged darker pattern and a white bow around the waist. Gem is located under the chin. Chosen weapon: staff. General serving under Crystal for the test, normally under Pink Diamond.

Goldstone – dark gold gem with red stripes, crimson eyes and dappled golden-yellow hair tied in a ponytail. Usually dressed in a yellow-red jumpsuit with a braided gold cloth necklace. Gem is located on the forehead between the eyes. Chosen weapon: short spear. General serving under Crystal for the test, normally under Blue Diamond.

 _Contestants for the open position_

Onyx – black gem with steel grey eyes and braided jet black hair. Usually dressed in a grey-black robe tied with a white sash. Gem is located on the left side of the neck. Electric element. Chosen weapon: connectable twin blades. Pink Diamond's candidate for the position.

Emerald – dark green gem with vibrant green eyes and green hair tipped in black. Usually dressed in a loose fitting green-and-black dress. Gem is on the chest, above the start of the ribs. Chosen weapon: staff with a sharpened point at the bottom. Blue Diamond's candidate for the position.

Jasper – dark muscular orange-yellow striped gem with intimidating yellow cat's eyes and a mane of white hair. Usually dressed in an orange-and-black jumpsuit. Gem is on the face where a nose would be. Chosen weapon: helmet battering ram. Yellow Diamond's candidate for the position.

Crystal – snow white gem with a brilliant navy blue eye as well as a slightly glassy ice blue one and white-pale cream hair. Usually dressed in a pale blue jumpsuit with a dark blue headband in her hair. Gem is located at the base of the spine on the back. Chosen weapon: plasma cannon that rests on the arm. Grey Diamond's candidate for the position.

 _Random gems from the squads_

Sunstone – bright orange-gold gem with pale yellow eyes and cream hair. Usually dressed in a pale yellow robe with a dark burnt orange sash. Gem is located on the stomach where the bellybutton would be. Chosen weapon: spiked whip. Onyx's unit.

Opal – dark blue (almost black) gem with navy blue hair and dark blue-green eyes that fade to an ice blue near the pupil. Usually dressed in a dark blue-and-black jumpsuit with a small white ribbon that travels back and flows freely from where the top of her suit ends. Gem is located on the center of the spine on the back. Chosen weapon: short sword. Onyx's unit.

Bloodstone – dark red gem with black hair and black eyes. Usually dressed in a black-and-red jumpsuit. Gem is located on the head between the eyes. Chosen weapon: longsword. Head of the search and gather portion. Onyx's unit.

Tourmaline – pale pink-and-green gem with pale green eyes and green streaked pink hair. Usually dressed in a long flowing dark pink gown. Gem is located on the chest. Chosen weapon: short staff. Water element. Onyx's unit.

Jade – green-and-black gem with icy green eyes and black-tipped green hair. Usually dressed in a pale green dress patterned in darker floral markings and black elbow-length gloves. Gem is located at the base of the throat. Chosen weapon: spear. Emerald's unit.

Wurtzite – dark brown gem with lighter brown eyes and dappled brown hair. Usually dressed in a brown jumpsuit with dark brown gloves. Gem is located on the chest. Chosen weapon: sword. Jasper's unit.

Spinel – dark red gem with white stripes and dark blue hair. Usually dressed in a red robe with a dark blue (almost black) sash. Gem is located on the stomach. Chosen weapon: spiked whip. Jasper's unit.


	2. Chapter 1

The Unexpected Request

 **"** **Enough. Stand down!" From the back of the arena, a sharp command from Yellow Diamond echoed over the fight, causing the two gems there to pull apart, still glaring at one another. Though it wasn't uncommon for them to go all out, apparently there was a need for the two of them to stay intact.**

 **Onyx straightened her stance warily, keeping her eyes fixed on the zircon general in front of her in case this really was some form of trap. Wouldn't be the first time something like this had played out only to have it come back and hurt her later for lowering her guard.**

 **"** **Pink Diamond said she wanted to talk to you, soldier. Get moving." Yellow Diamond came into view and the small black gem snapped to attention for a moment before giving a traditional salute and turning on her heels to head towards the metal monstrosity of a residence behind her.**

 **As she passed through the entrance, she paused for a moment, looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she touched her gem, making sure there weren't any cracks on it from this most recent fight. Not that it was anything new right now; most of the gems in the army despised her for even being there.**

 **After all, it was once every millennia that a gem that was asymmetrical was given the chance to prove their worth in the army…and she had gotten the spot, moving up from the work in the mines only a couple years prior. Not that she was complaining. Loyalty to the Diamond Authority was easy when they were the ones that got you out of a place where gems were left to be forgotten…even if they were the ones to implement the torturous rule in the first place. Plus, it wasn't like there was any other way of life for them beyond the rule of the Diamond Authority.**

 **After a quick moment, she was relieved to find that there were no cracks in the black gemstone on the side of her neck. Not that it really would have been much of a problem, since Pink Diamond would have healed it all anyways. That was the best part about working under the gentlest of the four diamonds: she had the healing powers. Despite doing her best to keep things under control, Pink Diamond always knew when she was being less then truthful about the status of her gem.**

 ** _Wonder what she wants me for, anyways…?_** **She thought, giving her head a shake before picking up the pace…only to pause in confusion.** ** _Hold on…where is she, anyways?!_** **Onyx looked around, realizing that Yellow Diamond hadn't exactly given any clue as to where she was. The only place she wouldn't be was in the Authority Council, seeing as it was just her and not her kin that wanted to talk with her…right? Great, now she was going to look like some sort of clod for getting lost yet again and there was no way she was asking anyone else, not unless someone else under Pink Diamond's squadron came along. And even that might be tempting fate.**

 **"** **Alright, just stop and think for a second…Where does she like to be when she's not with the council…?" Onyx closed her eyes tightly for a moment, one hand to her head as she thought, an old habit developed in the mines to hide the fact that she was indeed thinking. She barely noticed her feet start to carry her onwards or the tingling sensation of one of her electrical fields around her. "Okay, so she should be…." Onyx trailed off when she finally opened her eyes and saw she was in front of a large metal door.**

 ** _When did I…get here?_** **She puzzled for a moment before shrugging and knocking on the door to announce her presence. The voice that greeted her, however, was not that of Pink Diamond…it sounded more like Blue Diamond.** ** _Oh, that's just great. I've interrupted a meeting, haven't I?_** **Since it was called to enter, there wasn't much she could do, except apologize for interrupting and step back to wait until they were done. Giving a quick pause to prepare herself to grovel if necessary, she opened the door, only to realize she had made an even bigger mistake.**

 **The room was not decorated in pink…but in blue. The walls were a deep navy while the floor was more of an icy color. Near the back of the spacious room was a large desk, the color almost matching an indigo hue, enough to stand out against the dark walls. And sitting behind that desk was Blue Diamond herself, staring at her as if she had sprouted a second head or something.**

 **Dropping to one knee in a bow, Onyx lowered her head. "Forgive me, Blue Diamond. I was told by Yellow Diamond that I was summoned by Pink Diamond…though I seem to have forgotten where I was told she was."**

 **"** **Did you forget, or did she not tell you?" Blue Diamond's voice made her flinch, and that seemed enough of an answer to her. "Honestly, how are you supposed to know if she doesn't mention where?" Onyx heard muffled steps and quickly lowered her gaze to the carpet, knowing better than to make direct eye contact with any of the Diamond Authority.**

 **"** **Though I have to admit, you weren't far off. On your feet, soldier." Onyx scrambled up and snapped to attention, her mind running through worst-case scenarios at what might happen next. "Pink Diamond is in the next room you come to. Not bad for a complete guess." She almost sounded like she was smiling, but Onyx didn't dare look over to see if she really was or not. "Dismissed." The black gem gave a stiff salute before turning sharply and heading back out into the hall.**

 **Once the door had closed behind her, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.** ** _That could have gone so much worse,_** **she thought before continuing on down the hall, keeping alert for another door. Sure enough, she came to another door not far out of sight of Blue Diamond's room. Hoping that the blue leader hadn't been lying to her on that, she knocked on the door, feeling relief wash over her when the gentle leader's voice answered her.**

 **"** **Come in."**

 **Onyx pushed open the door, closing it gently behind her before turning to stand at attention to the larger diamond.**

 **The room she was in now was quite similar to the one Blue Diamond had, only instead of the blues dominating the color scheme, there were multiple shades of pink, with the carpet plush and closer to a fuchsia color. At the back of the room was a large ornate window that looked out over a garden that Pink Diamond personally attended.**

 **The pink-haired gem chuckled before waving one hand. "Onyx, you know there's no need for that when it's just us." The pink gem came over to stand in front of her and smiled as the soldier slowly relaxed.**

 **"** **I know…but I always feel better doing it until I know for sure. You've done so much for me already, I'd hate to see you get in trouble for allowing us to be so relaxed around one of your position." It was true; if Pink Diamond hadn't chosen her among the mines that day as a** ** _test subject_** **, she never would have been looked at for a spot in the military.**

 **"** **But that's why I chose you." Pink Diamond smiled and put a hand on Onyx's head. "You care so much about those around you, even if you get punished for it. We need more gems like that in the higher ranks. Which brings me to why I've called you here." The gentle leader's tone became somber as she stepped back and headed to the large window at the back of the room. "I'm sure you've heard by now about Tanzanite's betrayal."**

 **Onyx closed her eyes at the name. Yes, she had heard about that from a couple of bragging soldiers a few days back. Tanzanite had tried to use her position within the military to stage a rebellion, though thankfully it was stopped before it could truly become a threat. Nevertheless, the traitorous gem had been shattered by Yellow Diamond herself…or, that's how the story went, anyhow. But what did that have to do with why she was there? Did they think she was part of it somehow?**

 **"** **I think it's time you got the chance to prove your strength on a different battlefield, Onyx." Pink Diamond said, turning back to face her. Startled, the black gem looked up at Pink Diamond.**

 **"** **Are you saying that you want me to…take Tanzanite's place?" Onyx asked slowly, hardly daring to believe that the possibility could just be presented to her like this.**

 **"** **I believe we need more gems like you in these positions. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I've watched you grow every day of your training. I believe you're ready for this."**

 **To say that Onyx was stunned would be an understatement. If she could manage to impress the other diamonds of her skills, she would be joining two other gems in their history to make the rank of general with an asymmetrical gem. And Pink Diamond was nominating her for the position from her ranks…though stars knew what her competition would be.**

 **This was the way they made sure the strongest gems were made into the higher ranks: a contest of both strength and wit, brain and brawn and unswerving loyalty to the Diamond Authority. Each of the four diamonds would place a gem they believed should get the position and then it would be an entire three days and two nights straight with leading a small force in a sort of mock war. And the worst bit was that there would be both allies and enemies alike in all four groups…it was up to you to deal with that sort of betrayal to both you and the Diamond Authority. The only rule here? Don't destroy any gems, only poof them. Beyond that, it was a free-for-all.**

 **"** **Onyx?" The black gem was snapped out of her thoughts by Pink Diamond's voice.**

 **"** **Sorry, it's just…I wasn't honestly expecting this chance." Onyx replied, lowering her head. "All I can hope to do is to not bring shame to your trust."**

 **"** **I know you'll do the very best that you can, Onyx. That's all I want out of you." Onyx nodded, feeling a couple of sparks run down her arms at the thought of what she would be doing. Pink Diamond gave her a reassuring smile before stepping back. "The others are meeting in the Authority Chamber tomorrow morning at sunrise. I suggest you go and prepare until then." With that said, she was dismissed allowing Onyx to leave and let the severity of what was about to happen really sink in.**

 ** _How did I ever get in this deep with the military?_** **Onyx thought as she headed back the way she had come, though once she got to Blue Diamond's door, she paused again, the path before her splitting to either the left or to keep going straight. She hadn't exactly been paying attention to how she had gotten here in the first place. Hoping she wasn't about to make a clod's mistake, she continued going straight.** ** _If I can at least find the Authority Chamber, I should be able to find my way back out…I hope…_**

 **Thankfully, she ran into one of her fellow gems under Pink Diamond, Amber, who led her out before she got too badly lost. The gold-haired gem paused once they were at the entrance to the barracks, prompting the slightly smaller gem to stop as well.**

 **Amber had been elevated to the rank of Training Supervisor under Pink Diamond's command about forty years before Onyx had been brought in. While there were many times the yellow-and-gold dress-wearing instructor had joined her fellow soldiers in mocking Onyx, they had eventually come to a shaky truce once she had proved her worth on the battle field. While they weren't what one would call comrades, Amber would have her moments where she would seem like a half-way decent gem.**

 **"** **Onyx, I know what Pink Diamond wants to have you do…I just want to say…" Amber paused, looking down at her with narrowed dark gold eyes, "Give it your all and don't hold a speck back out there."**

 ** _Moments like this, Amber's not half bad._** **Onyx nodded, giving a small smirk. "Don't worry, Amber. I won't let you or Pink Diamond down. I'm gonna get that position of general…of this, I swear."**

 **"** **Heh. See that you do." Amber said, flipping a bit of vibrant amber-gold hair from one of her eyes back before heading back towards the training grounds.**

 ** _I almost hope that she gets picked for this run. I'd love to show her that I can handle myself out there…and that I won't shame her OR Pink Diamond._** **Onyx thought before heading over to her tiny cave-like room in the barracks. It was going to be a long night if she really wanted to prepare for tomorrow.**


	3. Chapter 2

Meeting the Team

 **The first rays of the sun were still hidden behind the metal monstrosity of a residence where the Diamond Authority had their home. Not leaving anything to chance, Onyx had left just to be sure she got there in time for the official sunrise of what was going to be the hardest few days and nights of her life so far. Once the metal monstrosity was in sight, she nearly stopped in her tracks when she saw two other gems just milling around the front door.**

 **One, she knew as Jasper, a buff orange striped fighter that stood almost as tall as Pink Diamond, and a popular choice by many of the smaller gems to get any position of power beyond that of a supervisor. The size of her alone was enough to unnerve most of them (including her at times if she was honest), as well as the eyes of a cat that would stare down at anyone else as if they were some sort of prey to be caught and eaten.**

 **The other was someone she was completely unfamiliar with, probably from Grey Diamond's unit from the way she was looking at a techno-pad of some sort, the screen completely see through. She was in a pale blue jumpsuit with a darker blue headband holding back her white hair.**

 **"** **What do you think you're doing here?" Jasper's voice hissed over at Onyx, snapping her attention back to the larger of the two.**

 **"** **Look, I'm not in the mood to play your little game, Jasper. Just let me through so I can get this test over with." Onyx said, barely holding back the growl in her throat. That would only make things about a hundred times worse if she got into a fight before the event even started.**

 **"** **You can't be serious. YOU'RE in this too?" Jasper scoffed, crossing her thick-muscled arms over her chest.**

 **"** **I take it you're Yellow Diamond's pick?" Onyx asked dryly, rolling her eyes and crossing her own arms.**

 **"** **Yes, she is. And if you are Pink Diamond's choice, then we have need only for Blue Diamond's gem before we're allowed in." the techy gem said, finally lowering the panel from in front of her, showing off a brilliant navy blue eye as well as a slightly glassy ice blue one. "I'm Crystal," she added with a slight nod to Onyx. Onyx returned the gesture warily before another voice suddenly broke into their conversation.**

 **"** **Is this it, then?" Onyx turned her head and side-stepped a dark green gem before she could crash into her.**

 **"** **Emerald." Onyx nodded to the taller gem. The new arrival blinked a couple of times before breaking into a large grin.**

 **"** **Good to see you again, Onyx. I heard that you might be joining us." Emerald reached out a hand, her vibrant green eyes narrowed in a more playful way than not.**

 **Emerald and Onyx went back to their days of training together when they had both joined the army, though at the time, Emerald's had been more forced than anything. Coming from a family of well-known strategists and tech geniuses, Emerald had been forced into the military in the hopes of rising to the same greatness as her predecessors. They had trained together, and it was a good thanks to Emerald that Onyx knew what she did about strategy.**

 **"** **Can we get on with this?" Jasper's irritated groan brought Onyx back to the present.**

 **"** **Better now than never." Crystal shrugged, clasping her hands behind her back and going to stand on the other side of the bulky orange gem.**

 **"** **Best of luck, Onyx." Emerald smirked before turning and heading over to the other side of Crystal, her loose-fit green-and-black outfit flowing slightly around her as if she were surrounded by clouds.**

 **"** **Same to you, Emerald." Onyx said quietly before taking her spot hesitantly beside Jasper, casting a wary glance at the much taller striped gem. Once they were all in place, Jasper took the lead and opened the doors, finally allowing them to enter the Authority Chamber.**

 **The room, had she known about the royalty of later earth, would probably have best been compared to that in appearance. It was larger than most of the rooms among the metal monstrosity that the Diamonds called home, with only the one door as the only access point. The walls were dotted with pictures of victorious conquests by one of the Diamonds at some point in their lives. At the back of the large room was a raised area where the four of the leaders sat on a throne. Behind each Diamond, a small flag with each of their symbols rested, indicating who was who in the ranks of the military.**

 **On the far left was Blue Diamond, her dark indigo flag showing her diamond pattern like a lightning bolt from a pale blue cloud shape. Beside her was Grey Diamond, the one who had masterminded the entirety of the palace monstrosity as well as the head of the Technology Gems Division; behind her, her flag was a steely grey with a simple design of some tool or another, once more patterned by diamonds. In the "center" was Yellow Diamond, the one that everyone saw as the sort of de-facto leader of the gems, and her flag design was about as simple as it got: a bright yellow diamond that repeated by growing larger and dulling in vibrancy until it was larger than the space the flag provided. Then on the far right was Pink Diamond, one of the gentlest spirited gems outside the field of battle with her diamond rose patterned flag echoing the bright pink of her curly hair.**

 **Already, Onyx could tell that her presence was being questioned. Yellow and Grey Diamond were talking amongst themselves and shooting her glares. The almost palpable hatred from the two leaders nearly made her flinch, but remembering what she was here to do, she forced herself to stand tall, knowing that she at least had as much of a chance as the other three. Following Crystal's lead, she placed her arms behind her back, lowering her gaze respectfully, hoping to avoid the worst of the glares that way.**

 **"** **If we're all here, how about we get started?" Blue Diamond suggested, leaning forward a bit in her chair. That seemed to put Yellow Diamond back into her right state of mind as she inclined her head.**

 **"** **Yes, I suppose we should." Yellow Diamond stood up and walked around to stand in front of the four candidates. The other three Diamonds stood as well and Onyx cast a quick glance at Pink Diamond before the yellow leader began speaking once more.**

 **"** **You four have been selected among each of our divisions because at least one of us believes that you have the qualities necessary to become one of our next generals." Yellow Diamond's scorching glare raked over them; it was no wonder that Jasper had learned to be so intimidating if this is what she went through under her leadership.**

 **"** **The trials that will befall you will put you to the test in every way imaginable, and only one will get the spot of general among our ranks. Each of you will receive a squadron of gems that have agreed to take part in this exercise. Each section will be made up of gems from all of our units, so there are bound to be allies and enemies alike. It will be your job to make use of the strengths of your team in order to remain standing. The only rule is that there will be no destruction of any of the gems, even each other. You will have one hour to meet the gems under your command for this trial before we begin. Dismissed!"**

 **Onyx felt a shiver run through her before giving a salute and heading over to Pink Diamond to meet her group for the trials. Once away from the other contestants, Pink Diamond smiled down at her. "Don't be afraid to think outside the normality for this. It's all about keeping things true to the Diamond Authority." Onyx nodded, bracing herself to what was about to happen before Pink Diamond opened a door, allowing her to step inside.**

 **The room was rather plain, simple white walls and flooring. While not small, it was by no means considered big either. And packed inside it were the two-hundred-fifty gems that would be under her control for the next three days. From the sea of color, two gems pushed their way forward to stand in front of her.**

 **"** **Bet you never expected this," Onyx blinked at the dark blue-and-orange gem that stood before her. The other was a pale orange-gold color with a yellow sash tied around her waist.**

 **"** **General Zircon," the small black gem greeted the blue-and-orange warrior. "General Topaz," she nodded respectfully to the older general, who nodded back. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting either of you two to be here."**

 **"** **Might want to be careful on who you tell that to." Topaz said with a wave of a yellow gloved hand. Onyx gave her head a small shake to clear it before turning back to Topaz.**

 **"** **Honestly, I'd rather they know how I feel. If we're going to be doing this for the next three days, I want the others to know what I think honestly. And that goes for you two as well."**

 **"** **What'd I tell you? Different to a fault." Zircon smirked, turning to Topaz, who merely shrugged.**

 **"** **Right now, it's too early to tell anything. But what I do know is that that line of thinking has gotten more than its fair share of gems in trouble in the long run." Topaz said, looking over at Onyx. "Be warned of that."**

 **"** **Noted. I'll keep that in mind." Onyx nodded before looking out over the gems in front of her. There were a few from Pink Diamond's group that she knew fairly well, as well as a small portion from Blue Diamond that had probably followed Zircon here that she knew she could work with. But Topaz, though well known for being the wisest and the highest ranking general standing, along with the gems from her division in Yellow Diamond's group and Grey Diamond's tech gems were complete mysteries.**

 **"** **Most of the gems here are fairly new recruits, so that's one thing you'll have to your favor." Topaz said, crossing her arms loosely.**

 **"** **But that means that I'm almost going in blind with how these gems work." Onyx said tightly, scanning the crowd as they watched her. Realizing that they were more or less waiting on her to do something, she looked over at Topaz. "Do you know the level of training this group has on the battlefield?"**

 **"** **More or less basics. Anything more advanced would be going over most heads here."**

 ** _Alright, there's no time for a crash course on the more advanced formations yet, that'll have to wait until later._** **Onyx closed her eyes for a moment before stepping passed Zircon and Topaz. "We don't have a lot of time for introductions, so I'm just going to get straight to the point. My name is Onyx, and I'm the one that will be taking charge of this unit for the next few days.**

 **"** **Many of you don't know much about the gems around you, and the same goes for me. But over the next few days, we're going to be working together to win this competition and prove to the Diamond Authority that we have the abilities to take this beyond what they would expect." Onyx paused to let her words sink in, scanning the crowd around her. "Let this be a win that we can all share…in the history of the rule of the Diamond Authority!" Those words brought up a cheer from the group, and Onyx could see the fire starting to burn in some of the gems' eyes at the thought of that kind of fame and recognition.**

 **"** **Not bad, Onyx. For a first motivational speech, you sure know how to nail hard points." Onyx turned to look at the two generals in her command. Zircon had a smirk while Topaz remained aloof, watching with gold eyes in silence. But there was a question that was starting to come to the forefront of her mind….** ** _Why were there generals in this group if this was to see if they could handle being a general in the first place?_**

 **But before she had the chance to ask her question, a loud siren echoed into the room, causing the now chattering group to fall silent. Onyx turned in time to see Pink Diamond enter, her usual smiling features settled into a more grim reflection. "Gather your troops, Onyx. It's time to head to the battlefield."**


	4. Chapter 3

These next few chapters are all sections of the same chapter. Originally, _The Tests of Position_ were all supposed to be one chapter, but after getting part ways through, I decided to break it up to make it all easier to read. Now it's broken up by the day it takes place after the _Arrival_ and _Return_ chapters. Just to clarify, the test isn't counting the days the gems arrive and return back to Homeworld in the counts. I'll stop rambling now so you can enjoy the story.

* * *

The Tests of Position: Arrival

 **Onyx nodded and looked back at the group of gems that would be her squad. "Alright gems, let's move out." With a quick nod to Zircon and Topaz, she pulled herself up, hoping to hide the fact that she was more nervous than she's ever been in her life. Pink Diamond stepped aside so that she could lead the group out before the pink leader took the lead to where they would be set up for the first trial.**

 ** _Hard to believe an hour went by that fast…_** **Onyx thought briefly as they reached the sunlight of the outside world to be greeted by a large ship. Apparently, we wouldn't be doing this test on Homeworld after all. At least that kept the playing field level…as long as Jasper or Crystal hadn't been here before. A good distance away, she could just make out the outline of snow-colored hair: Jasper. Out of all of them, she had a feeling the buff orange gem would be her largest enemy with this challenge. Once they were at the ramp that led up to the ship cabin, Onyx paused and stepped aside. "Alright, everyone in." The shock on the other gems' faces had her puzzled until one gem stepped forward from the middle of the group, her black eyes wide.**

 **"** **Not meaning to speak out of line here…" her gaze flickered to the two generals for a moment before shifting back to her, "but aren't you supposed to go on first as our commanding officer?"**

 **"** **And what if something were to come and try and attack us while we were getting on the ship? Do you think I should let those that come with me get hurt because I wanted to get on a ship first?" Onyx countered, causing the other gem to flinch slightly. Onyx let out a quick sigh before shaking her head. "I would rather see the gems under my command safe before running to the shelter of anything." She explained.**

 **There seemed to be something that washed over the gems at those words. For a long moment, no one made move to get on the ship. Almost when she was about to just get on the ship to make the others happy, Zircon stepped forward, cast a glance at her, and then entered the ship. Thankfully, that seemed to break the tension as other gems began to file on hesitantly until all that was left were Topaz, the red gem that had spoken earlier, and a pale pink gem with green streaks in her hair.**

 **"** **That line of thinking will get you in serious trouble one day, Onyx." Topaz warned, but there was an edge of something else embedded in those words as she passed the smaller black gem.**

 **"** **I hope not. You seem a lot nicer than most." Onyx looked back at the dark red gem in time to see her head up the ramp after Topaz. The pink gem shuffled her feet a couple of times, as if waiting to see if she would be allowed up as well, before heading up at a quick trot. Onyx looked around before heading up into the ship.**

 **As far as ships went, it was a small one, just barely able to hold the group comfortably. Onyx slipped among the gems as a few of them were starting to bring up conversations with others, though it seemed almost forced. Heading for the cockpit, Onyx opened the door to see a couple of gems bending over the controls of the ship. Hearing the door open, they turned and gave a quick salute. "At ease," she said, feeling a strange sensation go through her at the words as the two relaxed. "And you two are…?"**

 **"** **I'm Sunstone." The first said, clasping her hands behind her back, pale yellow robe nearly matching her cream-colored hair. She was nearly the color of Jasper's orange, but she had more gold than orange to her color, standing out strongly against her pale yellow eyes.**

 **"** **Opal." The other was small, barely reaching up past the top of the control panel. She was dressed in a dark blue-and-black jumpsuit with a small white ribbon that traveled back and flowed freely from where the top of her suit ended. Her eyes were a vibrant blue-green that faded near the pupil to an ice blue.**

 **"** **I take it you two can steer this ship?" Onyx asked, watching them.**

 **"** **That's the hope," Sunstone replied with a nod, "Grey Diamond gave us the coordinates to get there."**

 **"** **Then I'll leave you two to take care of it. Thank you." Onyx cast them a small smile before nodding to Sunstone and Opal. Seeing their eyes widen slightly, she turned and headed back into the cabin to find Zircon and Topaz. The sooner they could come up with a plan, the better, because she couldn't shake the feeling that Jasper would be after her the second they stepped off the ship. Thankfully, the two generals were close by, Zircon was over talking to a couple of paler colored gems a few feet from where she was now and Topaz was leaning against the back wall, her head down and eyes closed.**

 **"** **General Zircon, General Topaz." Onyx called out, drawing the attention of the two gems. "Can I talk with you two for a moment?" Zircon blinked at her and shrugged, slipping through a few excited-acting gems to reach her side. Topaz pushed off the wall and headed over, having to stop and go around a couple of groups before reaching her side, arms folded behind her back. Spotting another door not too far off, the smaller black gem made her way over there, before heading inside, the two generals following quickly behind her.**

 **"** **It's a bit strange for you to call us aside this soon…" Topaz pointed out, leaning against the wall once the door was shut. Onyx had a feeling the other gem would be like this the entire time they were together, pointing out every little detail she did as odd.**

 **"** **I know, but I have a strange feeling that when we get off this ship, there's going to be problems." Onyx admitted, starting to pace. Her gaze on the floor, she added in a mutter, "And I have a feeling that Jasper's the one that'll be behind it."**

 **"** **Attacking someone as they get off a ship is not only dishonorable, but against the laws of the game. The Diamonds tell you when to start and only then is the fighting allowed to begin." Topaz shook her head.**

 **"** **I would rather be safe than sorry." Onyx insisted, pausing in her pacing to look at the older general.**

 **"** **I'm with Topaz on this, Onyx. You're getting paranoid before the contest even starts." Zircon scoffed, drawing the black gem's attention to her. "Jasper isn't going to attack us, I'd bet my position on it. We'll get off the ship and head to where Pink Diamond has her base set up and you'll take over from there."**

 **"** **Neither of you think there'll be any trouble?" Onyx asked, looking from one gem to the next and back again.**

 **"** **Positive. Jasper wouldn't risk elimination if she wants the spot. Just trust in your group like you said you would and you'll make it through the first day fine." Zircon rolled her eyes, though Onyx refused to notice it. Maybe they were right and she was just being paranoid because Jasper was such a threat on the battlefield. Before she could argue the point further, the intercom on the ship sparked to life.**

 **"** **This is Sunstone. We're preparing for the descent. I advise you all to take your seats as we bring it down to the surface." With that, the intercom clicked off and the ship began to slow down. With a quick nod to Zircon and Topaz, she dismissed the two generals before heading out of the room. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that Topaz and Zircon were wrong about the threat.**

 ** _Is it really a rule that no gem can attack when they're getting off their ship?_** **Onyx wondered, trying to remember what Yellow Diamond had said before they had left to meet the squads they would command. She couldn't recall anything like that being said, but maybe Topaz was right and it was more of an honor-bound thing. If that were the case, it wouldn't be said, but more implied among gems as a rule. But that feeling just would not go away!**

 **Once the ship came to a halt, Onyx stood and turned to the other gems. "Be on your guard. We don't know what the area around us is going to be like." From the corner of her eye, she caught Zircon shaking her head in disbelief as Onyx made her way to the door. Some of the other gems exchanged glances before following her, tension now rising in the air as the ramp lowered to the ground, allowing them to exit.**

 **The area they were in looked peaceful enough. Off to the west was a thick forest, on the east was the rolling plains that led up to a large mountain, and in front of them was what appeared to be a lake, the connecting river running near the ship and out into whatever lay behind them.**

 **But despite the peaceful setting, Onyx still couldn't shake the fact that Jasper was waiting for them to come off the ship somewhere close by. Realizing that some of the others were starting to get impatient about leaving she reached over to her gem, and pulled out one of her twin swords before taking the lead out. Though puzzled, she could tell that some of the gems behind her pulled out weapons as well, following her lead. Once on the ground, she looked around, trying to catch sight of Jasper's orange color.**

 **"** **Onyx, seriously, Jasper's nowhere here. Just get a hold of your senses and – are you even listening to me?" Topaz had come up to her to try and get her attention, but Onyx was still focused on finding the muscled gem.**

 **Just as the last gems were out, a small flicker in one of the trees near the lake caught her eye and the grip on her sword tightened as she took a small step forward. Topaz let out an irritated sigh behind her before saying something about getting Zircon to help round up the other gems to head off, but Onyx barely heard her. Narrowing her eyes at the spot where she had seen the leaves move, she felt a tingle of electricity run down her arms two seconds before an arrow was fired.**

 **"** **Hit the deck!" Onyx yelled, grabbing the red gem that had spoken up before they had left Homeworld and pulling her to the ground. As the gems dropped to the ground around her, the light arrow soared over their heads, carrying a small gust of wind with it, and into the ship with a blinding flash. Onyx waited a few seconds before slowly standing up, the threatening feeling gone for now, and looked around. "Is everyone alright?"**

 **"** **No one was hurt it looks like." Topaz said slowly, looking at the gems near her. Had she chosen to stay standing, she would have received the blast instead.**

 **"** **All's good here." Zircon responded from near the ship ramp…or what was left of it. "Though I don't think we can say the same for the ship."**

 **The ship itself was destroyed, a large gaping hole went through both sides of it, creating a view of a hilly forest terrain beyond.**

 **"** **Where did that come from?" Opal asked, looking around as best she could. At that, the others' eyes shifted back to Onyx, looking for some answer as to what had just happened. Realizing what she had to do now, she went over and stepped onto the remains of the ramp, feeling it wobble heavily under her weight before she managed to get it stable enough to talk.**

 **"** **I know this may seem bad, but the Diamonds have done this for a reason. This way, there's no backing out until the end of this fight, just like in a real battle. If we start weakening now, they've already won. We can still take control of this fight!" Onyx looked around at the group of gems below her. "We can still make our mark in gem history, and this is even more encouragement for us to do so!" She could tell that the words reassured them, lighting that spark to fight once more, despite their way home now gone. But when her gaze locked on Zircon and Topaz, she saw her own feelings reflected in their eyes:** ** _this wasn't supposed to happen._**

 **Once the gems were calm enough, Onyx took the lead, heading along the river to see if they could find Pink Diamond's encampment for them. When they left the destroyed ship behind, Topaz had come up to walk beside her, arms clasped behind her back. Zircon was in the back, keeping an eye out for anything else that might come at them.**

 **"** **Onyx…" the black gem looked over at the general, "I'm sorry for not taking your warning seriously. I was just so sure that nothing would happen…."**

 **"** **Topaz, there's nothing to be sorry for. Someone broke the rules of the game with that." Onyx cut the orange-gold general off. "As long as everyone's alright, that's all that matters. Whoever it was will be punished in the end."**

 **"** **I don't get it though…how did you know that would happen?" Topaz asked, casting a side glance at her.**

 **"** **Honestly, I don't know. It just sort of…happens." Topaz fell silent, though it was clear that she wasn't completely satisfied with that answer, she let it drop for now. Once they found camp, it would be better for them all.**

 **The river wound up by cutting into the forest by midday, allowing them a small reprieve from the sun's glare against the water. From the slight tension of the group, she knew that it wouldn't be long before exhaustion crept in with these gems, but she had a feeling that their base was close. With the water and the plants starting to become more abundant, Pink Diamond was bound to be nearby.**

 **Sure enough, by the time the sun was setting, they came upon a thick group of fir trees that hid where the river went. Standing a bit away from the bunch of trees was Pink Diamond herself. Hearing the whispers of excitement from the gems behind her Onyx had to force back a small smile as she led them over and gave a salute.**

 **"** **Onyx reporting and ready, Pink Diamond." She said as the two generals came up to join her, offering their own salutes as well.**

 **"** **At ease," Pink Diamond said gently, smiling at them. "You've done well to get them here, Onyx. Be sure you're ready. Tomorrow begins the full test at sunrise."**

 **"** **We'll do you proud Pink Diamond." Onyx nodded, feeling a wave of energy run through her at the words. She wanted so badly to prove to the gentle leader that she was able to take the position of general, wanted to show the entire Diamond Authority that having an asymmetrical gem wasn't a weakness…but a strength. Once they were dismissed and Pink Diamond gone, Onyx turned to the gems behind her.**

 **"** **This will be our camp for the night. I suggest you all recharge, because tomorrow is when the real fighting starts. Be ready by sun-up to move out, we're not letting anyone catch us by surprise like that again. Dismissed." Onyx still felt strange on saying the word, but the other gems went off to find their tents for the night. Topaz and Zircon hung back with her for a moment until the last gem of their squad was in the camp.**

 **"** **I have a feeling that this whole thing is going to be a lot more than just a spot for general." Onyx said quietly, watching a few gems talk to each other before heading into their tent for the night.**

 **"** **If what happened earlier was any clue, I'd say you're not far off." Zircon admitted, one hand clenching tightly at her side.**

 **"** **We'll need to be ready for anything from here on out." Topaz added grimly, for once without any sarcastic bite to her voice. It was strange to hear her so subdued.**

 **"** **I want to come up with a couple of plans before we move out tomorrow. Can you two come to my tent around midnight?" Onyx looked up at the two generals to see them nod. "Alright, get some rest. The trees will keep watch tonight." With that, she dismissed them to head for the tent in the center of the camp, a small black flag with Pink Diamond's symbol resting on top of it.**


	5. Chapter 4

The Tests of Position: Day One

 **The back end of midnight was just settling over the camp when Zircon and Topaz came to her tent. Inside, Onyx had already set out maps of the area that she had been able to find amid the papers and scrolls Pink Diamond had left her. Along the back side, numerous other scrolls and papers had been spread out as the black gem had been looking over the stats of her other competitors, mainly Jasper and Crystal.**

 **"** **Anything good?" Zircon asked, indicating the map on the small table. Topaz sat down, quickly looking over the map as Onyx and Zircon joined her.**

 **"** **Not much that I can tell. The map is archaic at best, poorly done at worst." Onyx pointed to a small patch of trees that was circled in black ink. "This is where we're at now from what I could pick out. I can only guess as to where the others were dropped off at since we didn't see any sign of another ship while we were out walking."**

 **"** **Perhaps the others suffered the same fate as we did…" Topaz said quietly, her gaze focused on the map. "Where we're at now serves as a powerful advantage as some of the gems can control water in our unit."**

 **"** **Alright, that's good to know. Are they adept at it or…?"**

 **"** **There's one that could be considered adequate. Beyond that, the others have very little formal training."**

 **"** **Fine…we may need to have a crash course with the water gems then. Who's got the most experience?" Onyx looked over at the older general.**

 **"** **It's a gem called Tourmaline. She seemed quite able to use water when I was heading for my tent." Zircon pitched in, crossing her arms as Onyx turned her attention to the larger general. "Though her shyness makes me wonder why she's in the army to begin with."**

 ** _I'll have to talk to her when we get done then…_** **Onyx thought before turning her attention back to the map. "I don't think it'd be wise to send all our troops out at once. Some should remain here at all times to make sure the camp isn't overtaken by the others."**

 **"** **Sounds reasonable," Zircon nodded, "so how would you split the troops?"**

 **"** **We'll best be splitting into three groups…one to each of you and one to me." Onyx stood and began pacing once more.**

 **"** **Why three? Wouldn't two be better for the size we have?" Topaz interjected, her eyes coldly following Onyx's movements.**

 **"** **We need to know what's going on around us. By taking a small portion as a third group, we have a better chance of keeping up with Jasper, Crystal, and Emerald." Onyx countered, rounding on Topaz.**

 **"** **Right, because having spies among this place would be** ** _so_** **helpful. Why not just send them off with a white flag while you're at it?" Topaz snapped back, getting to her feet to glare at Onyx.**

 **"** **I am not having us be caught blindsided again!" Onyx lashed out, slamming her hands on the small table. Topaz fell silent while Zircon seemed to be fighting off a smirk of amusement at the show they were putting on.**

 **"** **Um…" The three gems turned their attention to a fourth that had poked her head in, red eyes wide. "Is…everything alright?"**

 **"** **What are you doing here, Bloodstone?" Zircon stood, heading over to the gem. Bloodstone flinched a bit before giving an awkward salute.**

 **"** **Sorry, I was heading back to my tent and…there was a lot of yelling, so I thought something was wrong…." Bloodstone explained, a darker flush creeping up her face, turning her skin almost maroon in color.**

 **"** **What were you doing out of your tent? Onyx told everyone to prepare for the fights." Topaz pointed out, narrowing her eyes at the young gem.**

 **"** **I-I know…but after what happened…and everyone was so tense…"**

 **"** **Zircon, Topaz, lighten up. I didn't exactly make it an order, she's more than welcome to keep a watch if she felt the need." Onyx stepped in, moving so that she was in front of Bloodstone. "Nice to have a name to the face, Bloodstone." She added with a small smile back at the other gem.**

 **"** **But she –." Topaz began, but Onyx cut her off.**

 **"** **Hasn't done anything against an order….Actually, I think I have a better idea." Turning to the younger gem, Onyx added, "How do you feel about taking control of some gems yourself?"**

 **"** **Wait, what?!" Zircon coughed, her eyes wide in disbelief.**

 **"** **You can't be serious!" Topaz growled, her eyes blazing.**

 **"** **Completely. The fact that she avoided** ** _both_** **of your notices means that she has enough stealth to her to do what we need." Onyx rounded on the two generals, a couple of sparks running down her arms. "I know what this test is about, but that means that I am taking responsibility for getting these gems through this trial and even give them the experience they need to serve the Diamond Authority. Exactly** ** _how_** **I go about it is my business."**

 **"** **She's nowhere** ** _near_** **the rank of a general." Topaz snapped, stalking forward.**

 **"** **Neither am I right now, but I** ** _am_** **the one in charge. Now** ** _stand. Down._** **" Onyx met Topaz's glare with one of her own. Vaguely, she was aware of Zircon tensing, ready to break apart a fight if need be; but, after a long moment of staring the orange-gold general down, Topaz finally lowered her eyes with a sigh.**

 **"** **Fine. Destroy us all. See if I care anymore." Topaz muttered, crossing her arms and turning her back on them.**

 **"** **Onyx won't get us destroyed." Bloodstone's voice spoke up, startling Onyx as she had half-forgotten the red gem was there. "If there's anything I've seen, I know I can believe in that."**

 **"** **You don't know enough to even say that." Zircon pointed out grimly, arms folded over her chest.**

 **"** **I know that there's a difference between Onyx's leadership and that of the others'. And that's what we need! Onyx cares about us!" Bloodstone seemed to be gaining more confidence as the conversation went on as she stepped fully into the tent to turn her glare on the blue-and-orange general.**

 **"** **And that same concern will get her destroyed at least. We're trying to be practical." Topaz pointed out sullenly, still not looking at the others.**

 **"** **You really have so little faith that –?"**

 **"** ** _Enough!_** **" Onyx let loose a small electrical wave, stepping in between the arguing gems. The shock was enough to cause them to jump back a bit and fall silent.**

 **"** **Bloodstone, thank you for your support. Zircon and Topaz have been at this a lot longer than either of us have, which has caused them to see things as one way possibilities." The dark red gem lowered her head apologetically. "If you would just step outside for a moment, I'd like a few more words with them before talking with you about what I need." Bloodstone gave a quick salute before slipping back outside to wait.**

 **"** **This is ridiculous. She's not even…" Topaz began, but Onyx held up a hand to stop her.**

 **"** **I know Bloodstone's not a general. This whole exam is a bit strange to me in the setup. But right now, that's neither here nor there. I believe that Bloodstone will be an able leader for this small group. I'll let her pick thirty gems for her group, which will leave each of you with a hundred and ten for your own."**

 **"** **How do you think this test is strange?" Zircon asked with a frown. Topaz looked a bit nervous, but didn't say anything.**

 **"** **There are a few reasons, but until I have more definite proof of it, I'm not going to be saying anything." Onyx crossed her hands behind her back to start pacing again. "We'll need to work on battle formations before too long." She saw Zircon and Topaz exchange a quick glance as she continued, "Choose the gems you want for your units. Send the remaining gems here to go to Bloodstone as her group."**

 ** _This is my decision…I'm sticking with it!_** **Onyx thought, rounding on the two generals. "Dismissed." Zircon and Topaz gave a quick salute before heading outside. Letting loose a small sigh, she went out to grab Bloodstone to explain what she was needing done.**

 **"** **I'm sorry about causing that trouble earlier." Bloodstone said, her head down once they were back inside the tent.**

 **"** **That wasn't your doing. Topaz and Zircon weren't too happy about this decision is all. But I truly believe that we need to keep an eye on what's happening around us, and to do that, we need a group out there. That's where you'll come in." Onyx explained, taking a seat at the small table covered by the area map, inviting the dark red gem to sit as well. "I'm leaving thirty gems in your care to take out and see what the others are doing as well as where they even are."**

 **"** **You're…really putting me in charge of gems?" Bloodstone's eyes widened.**

 **"** **That's the plan." Onyx said with a nod. Noticing a few tears in the other gem's eyes, Onyx backtracked a bit. "Is that alright with you?"**

 **"** **Sorry, it's just…no one's ever…believed in me…like this." Bloodstone wiped away one tear that traveled down her face. "Blue Diamond was right about you, Onyx. You really are what the military needs."**

 ** _So she's a new one for Blue Diamond, then._** **Onyx thought, giving the other gem a small smile. "I'm going to do my best to get that spot. I seem to have a lot of gems to owe that to, at least." Bloodstone gave a small, hesitant smile in return and nodded in determination.**

 **"** **I'll do you proud, Onyx. We'll get the information you need." Bloodstone jumped to her feet.**

 **"** **I know you will. First thing's first though, how much training do you have if it comes to a fight out there?" Onyx stood slowly, looking over at the dark red gem.**

 **"** **Amber made sure I knew the first two advanced formations before we left Homeworld." Bloodstone announced proudly. "I can work with the others to get them up to speed on what to do."**

 **"** **Sounds like you've got it covered then." Onyx nodded as a couple of sparks ran down her arms. She could feel a fair amount of gems outside, and, though puzzled about this new ability, smiled once more. "And I do believe that your group is ready for you. Shall we inform them?" Bloodstone swiped at her eyes one last time before nodding, following Onyx out of the tent.**

 **Though seeming puzzled as to what they were called out here for at such an early hour of the day, the gems around them saluted as Onyx stepped into view. "At ease," she held up a hand and the gems relaxed as she motioned Bloodstone to step up beside her.**

 **"** **While I was talking with Zircon and Topaz, there was one thing that was clear to me. While there needs to be a strong fighting force, there's also a need to understand the situation around us. That is where you all come in." Onyx paused to look over the group, spotting Opal among the ranks as she continued, "Bloodstone has offered to lead you as a search and gather group to keep us all informed of what happens among the other groups. Your role in this fight is of the utmost importance, because without the knowledge you find, we'd be going in blind, leading to more gems getting hurt…possibly even you yourselves finding a much worse fate."**

 **"** **Worse fate? What could be worse out here?" Opal called out from where she stood near the front of the group. Other gems began voicing their own concerns, looking from one to another. Before chaos could erupt, Onyx brought their attention back to her.**

 **"** **I fear that destruction would lie at the end of a failure. I know it sounds farfetched!" Onyx raised her voice as the murmurs started up again, causing them to fall silent once more, "but I can't stop thinking that that arrow from earlier was meant to do more harm than it really did. We need to be prepared for anything from this point on. And that includes facing the possibility of gem destruction if we fail to please."**

 **Only a small breeze answered her then as the words sank in with the gems. Onyx could almost see the thoughts running through the gems' heads:** ** _Was this why we were chosen? Was it because we were expendable?_**

 **"** **Listen," Bloodstone stepped forward to address the group, casting a sideways glance at Onyx for approval. When the black gem gave her a nod, she continued, turning back to face the group. "I know that it might sound crazy, but Onyx has a point. We can't risk something like that if we want to show the Diamond Authority that we're able to fight. We can't just give in, we have to do what we can to show all of Homeworld what we can do. And I don't know about all of you, but Onyx is one gem I'd be proud to fight for. In just the little time we've known her, she's showed more openness to us,** ** _us_** **, as new recruits, than any other gem has so far. And as long as she stands," Bloodstone turned to face her with a sharp salute, "I'm willing to put my full trust in her."**

 **One by one, the other gems slowly added their salute as well. Onyx looked over at Bloodstone, unable to disguise her surprise at the sudden gesture. "Thank you…all of you…" Onyx said quietly before turning back to look at the other gems. "Let this go down in Diamond history as the day the underlings take charge of the battlefield." And when that brought up a cheer from the surrounding gems, Onyx looked up at the sky, noticing the first streaks of pink and orange start to light up the far east.**

 **"** **It's starting…." Onyx said quietly before turning her attention back to Bloodstone. "We need to get moving. First things first, we need to know where Jasper, Crystal, and Emerald are."**

 **"** **We'll find them," Bloodstone promised, turning to head into her newly assigned group, but paused when Onyx spoke once more.**

 **"** **Bloodstone, if anything happens, get yourself and the others out. It won't do us any good if you all get poofed with the information you're trying to bring back." Onyx crossed her arms behind her back when Bloodstone nodded and led the small group out of camp.**

 **Once the thirty gem group was out of the camp, Onyx turned her attention to finding Zircon and Topaz. For now, they would wait to see what Bloodstone came up with; in the meantime, there was still the matter of the group's general lack of training that needed to be seen to before any real fighting took place. Heading further in, she picked up what sounded like training from the left. Sure enough, Zircon was doing a mock-fight with another gem, the same one that had seemed so shy and hesitant about getting on the ship right before Onyx had boarded. By the time she got to them, Zircon had the younger gem on her back, her pale green eyes wide in fear.**

 **"** **You need to be ready for the follow-up, you can't expect gems to –."**

 **"** **Zircon, there you are." Onyx pushed her way forward to settle to pink and green gem. The larger blue-and-orange gem stood stiffly.**

 **"** **Onyx, I figured you'd be out putting more gems that don't deserve it in charge of missions." The general's eyes narrowed and Onyx felt a spark run down her arm.**

 **"** **If that's a challenge, you're more than welcome to follow through with it later. Right now, we need to put this pride of yours aside so that we can make it out of here." Onyx pointed out stiffly, narrowing her own eyes to match Zircon's glare. "Where's Topaz?"**

 **"** **She took her group and left about twenty-five minutes ago." Zircon pointed out, nodding towards the back of the camp.**

 **"** **What? Why?!" Onyx snapped, clenching her fists. This was** ** _NOT_** **what she needed to hear right now.**

 **"** **How should I know? All she said was that she was going out with her group to find one of the others in this mess." Zircon crossed her arms over her chest with an irritated sigh. Before Onyx could snap back at the general, another spark ran down her back and it felt like another gem was running towards them…fast….Spinning around, Onyx came face-to-face with Sunstone.**

 **"** **Onyx!" Sunstone skidded to a halt and did a quick salute, her entire body covered in dust, twigs and leaves.**

 **"** **Sunstone? What's wrong?" Onyx turned, forgetting about Zircon for the moment as she waved one hand to tell get her to talk.**

 **"** **Topaz found some of Emerald's gems being attacked by Jasper and Crystal's groups and went in to help finish Emerald off, but when we went down there, Jasper and Crystal turned on us and forced us back." Sunstone wrapped her arms around herself, completely shaken.**

 **"** **Wait, then if you made it back, where're the rest of them?" Onyx prompted, taking a step towards the rattled gem.**

 **"** **They're still out there. Emerald was trying to help us when I left, but…"**

 **"** **You deserted them?" Zircon hissed, reminding Onyx of the general's presence.**

 **"** **Zircon, not now!" Onyx hissed over her shoulder just as another gem dashed into camp. "Opal?" she looked over at the new arrival, wondering what would have caused her to come back so soon after Bloodstone had left.**

 **"** **Onyx, there's a gem not too far from the camp. Says she's from Emerald's group and that there's big trouble!" Opal was hopping up and down, clearly eager to get back out there.**

 **"** **Emerald's group? Are they still holding up?" Sunstone turned to her friend eagerly.**

 **"** **Last she saw, they were taking…wait, how do you –?"**

 **"** **Everyone, hold up for a moment!" Onyx called, drawing the attention of the others, as well as the gazes from several other surrounding gems. "Zircon, gather your gems. We need to go and help Topaz." She said quickly, turning back to the larger gem.**

 ** _So much for doing some training before we do any fighting!_** **Onyx thought as she started to pace while Zircon gathered her gems. "Opal, go and tell Bloodstone to start coming back to camp and to bring the gem she ran in to. Looks like we'll just have to wait for a scouting mission for now." The small blue-black gem gave a quick salute before spinning on her heels and taking off.**

 **"** **I wasn't trying to desert Topaz, Onyx, I swear…." Sunstone said quietly, her head lowering.**

 **"** **I know, Sunstone. And in a way, it's good that you got back here. You can lead us straight to Emerald and it sounds like we might get an idea as to where Jasper and Crystal are as well." Onyx paused in her pacing to give the other gem a small smile.**

 **"** **We're ready." Zircon said, drawing the black gem's attention back to the matter at hand.**

 **"** **Alright. Sunstone, can you lead us back?" The gems looked a bit startled, but before either could say anything, Bloodstone's group came back into camp with a new gem in tow. She was a good bit taller than most of the group, standing about as tall as Zircon's bulky form, her colors close to Emerald's green-and-black, though the green was a bit more like a swamp green compared to the other's vibrant green.**

 **"** **Are you heading out? Please, let me come!" The new gem had quickly singled Onyx out and pushed her way over. Sunstone tensed as she got closer, shifting slightly to keep in the taller gem's path.**

 **"** **Sunstone, it's fine. She's just trying to get a way back to her group." Turning to the larger gem, she added, "Sunstone was just about to lead us back to help. And you are…?"**

 **"** **My name is Jade." She gave a quick salute, almost as if it were a secondary thought. Then again, it probably was at this point.**

 **"** **Alright, Jade. You can come. But I want no tricks right now, got it?" Onyx asked, attempting to draw herself up. Despite everything, this could still be a trap, complicated sure, but a trap none the less. When the green-and-black gem nodded, she turned back to Zircon. "Let's move out."**

 **"** **Stay safe, general…" Onyx nearly froze at Bloodstone's words as she passed, but she couldn't stop and correct the other gem now. Giving a nod to Sunstone to show that she should take the lead, the orange-gold gem pulled forward and took off into the deeper forest.**

 **For a long while, everything was almost deathly quiet. Onyx almost feared that they were heading in the wrong direction and was about to question Sunstone about it when a sudden amount of noise came from up ahead. The river had vanished some time ago, leaving the area as nothing more than a dense forest.**

 **"** **Up there?" Onyx whispered, but Jade seemed to answer her question when she ran past them, only to freeze before she got out of sight. "Jade? What's wrong?" But when the taller gem refused to respond, Onyx felt dread start to well up inside her. Taking the lead from Sunstone, she trotted over to stand beside the other gem, only to freeze as well at the sight before her.**

 **The remains of tents were burning to the ground, lighting the area like a bonfire. Gems were scattered among the damage, and even from here, she could see that a few were cracked on the ground. Others looked like they were barely able to do more than move around in a dazed state.**

 **"** **Onyx? What are you doing here?" The voice came from what was left of the center of the camp as Topaz came over, looking somber and confused.**

 **"** **We were trying to get here to help you…looks like we were too late, though. Where's Emerald?" Onyx asked, looking around at the destruction. Topaz closed her eyes and turned back to where she had come, and that alone was an answer to her. Brushing passed Topaz, she went over and saw a small group of gems standing and kneeling around someone. "What happened?" Onyx asked, startling the gems as they jumped and spun to face her, a couple reaching for their weapons. Until a soft voice made them all freeze in their tracks.**

 **"** **Onyx? You came?" A few of them looked back from the fallen gem to her in confusion as a couple of sparks ran over her back at the sight of Emerald's badly cracked gem.**

 **"** **A bit late, unfortunately." Onyx pushed her way forward to kneel next to her friend. The gems nearby, both hers and Emerald's, tensed as if ready to fight once more. "Cool it, that's enough." Onyx hissed over her shoulder before turning back to Emerald in time to see the crack grow bigger and her form flicker.**

 **"** **Onyx…you have to get out of here…Jasper's not through yet…the rules…they've changed." Emerald winced, struggling to keep her form.**

 **"** **What do you mean? How?" Onyx leaned forward, her eyes wide.**

 **"** **Tanzanite…she's still…around….There never was…a position…open." Emerald closed her eyes, trembling. Onyx felt a shiver go through her. But before she could ask anything more, Emerald poofed back into her gem to stop the crack from growing.**

 **"** **Tanzanite's still here?" Onyx looked over at one of the gems nearby, a lavender colored gem she knew from Pink Diamond's group named Kunzite.**

 **"** **Though it seems hard to believe, I saw her myself, running off with Jasper's group." Kunzite said quietly, looking down.**

 **"** **Then Emerald's right…why are we here?" Onyx gently picked up the gem and held it out for Kunzite to take.**

 **"** **What are you hiding from us?" The growl came from Zircon behind her, and she turned in time to see her glaring at Topaz. The older general had her gaze on the ground, looking like she knew something about what was going on by the way the proud general refused to meet anyone's gaze.**

 **"** **Topaz? What's going on?" Onyx asked slowly, getting to her feet to face the yellow-orange gem, barely aware that she still had Emerald's gem with her.**

 **Topaz shifted her weight from one foot to the other for a moment before letting out a sigh. "This is a test for a position of general that much is true…but it goes beyond that. The Diamonds decided that the time had come for a sole gem to hold responsibility for the generals and their groups….They gave the position the title of High General, but they wanted someone new to come in…that's what this test is for…that's why there are generals in all the units…."**

 **"** **To see if we could handle taking control…?" Onyx felt a tremor go through her as Topaz nodded. "Then what about this? Was this destruction allowed too?" Another nod.**

 **"** **In this game…there literally are no rules save for the code that keep you bound to the Diamond Authority."**

 **"** **What are we supposed to do now? None of us are able to get home, the ship was destroyed!" Kunzite squawked at Topaz, her arms waving wildly.**

 **"** **What if you come with us? If you still feel up to fighting, you could join up with us." Turning to Topaz, she added, "Anything goes, right?"**

 **"** **I'll go…I want to avenge Emerald," an icy blue gem said, getting to her feet as well.**

 **"** **Aquamarine?" Topaz blinked, looking over at the other gem.**

 **"** **I know that this was Yellow Diamond's call…but from what I saw, Emerald should have gone farther than this. If changing sides to join Onyx will allow me to get my vengeance, then so be it." Aquamarine gave a salute to Onyx, who returned the gesture.**

 **"** **I promise, this won't go unheard." Onyx replied as Kunzite joined the icy blue gem with a nod. Realizing she still held Emerald's gem, she tried to pass it over once more.**

 **"** **No, Onyx. I think you should hold onto it. You and Emerald seem like you're close enough that you won't let anything happen to her." Kunzite gently pushed Onyx's hand back and when Aquamarine nodded her agreement, she closed her eyes for a moment before placing the gem into a newly formed pocket inside her robe.**

 **"** **Any gems that are poofed or cracked will be coming with us as well." Dismissing Aquamarine and Kunzite, she turned to Zircon and Topaz. "Do what needs to be done to help them back to camp. I want this place deserted by the time the sun is showing noon; if gems can return here, then I'd rather them be in a more secure place." The other two generals nodded and went to inform their groups of what would be happening.**

 **"** **Are we really going to take them with us?" a small voice asked, drawing Onyx's attention behind her. It was the pink-and-green gem that Zircon had been training earlier.**

 **"** **Tourmaline, stop bothering Onyx!" Zircon snapped, coming forward.**

 **"** **Settle down, Zircon. I have another task in mind for her." Onyx said, stepping between the two. Zircon flinched before giving a quick nod and turning to help gather fallen gems. Letting out a sigh, she turned back to the other gem.**

 **"** **Tourmaline, I need you to go back to camp and tell Bloodstone what's going on. These gems have been through enough and the last thing any of us need is an interrogation." The pale gem nodded and took off back the way they had come. Once that was done, she went over to help out where she could, picking up a couple of cracked gems.**

 **When everything was done, the tents that were still burning were put out and dropped to the ground to avoid any more fire damage to the area. Letting out a long sigh, Onyx looked around at the now two-hundred-seventy strong group. "Alright, let's head back to camp." The gems murmured an agreement as they headed out. The noon sun was beating down as if mocking the dark events that just happened with bright light.**

 **Thankfully, Jasper and Crystal seemed to be done bothering them for now, but Onyx couldn't help but worry about the white gem's fate with working alongside a gem like Jasper.** ** _I wonder if Crystal knows the truth behind this whole test…if not, she'll probably be the next one to go…._** **She thought, a couple of sparks running down her back at the thought.**

 **Back at camp, Bloodstone and Opal were waiting to hear what had happened at the fight, but Onyx held up a hand, stopping their questions before they began. "Not now, you two. We need to get tents set up for them. We'll search for Crystal and Jasper later."**

 **"** **That bad?" Bloodstone asked quietly as Opal went off, offering to help clear a space among the sentient plant ring around the camp, Sunstone following after her.**

 **"** **Emerald's gem was badly cracked when we got there. Hopefully she can hold out until this is all done and we can get her to Pink Diamond." Onyx said wearily. The whole ordeal was mentally draining her right now. Bloodstone's eyes widened at the news, but she remained silent as Zircon and Topaz came up with Kunzite and Aquamarine. Turning to them, she straightened her stance. These gems needed her to be strong right now, what would happen if she weakened?**

 **"** **For now, get settled. I believe Opal and Sunstone are working on getting a spot cleared out for you on the east end of camp. Once everyone is settled, we can discuss what we're going to do next." As she watched the gems leave, she noticed a lot of them helping each other. A couple that had minor cracks in their gem were being helped by some of her group while others went about to help set up more tents and clear the area so they could rest.**

 **"** **You've really touched a lot of these gems already, Onyx." Bloodstone said, coming over to stand beside her. Suddenly remembering what the dark red gem had said before they left, Onyx looked over at her.**

 **"** **What you said earlier…who were you talking to when you mentioned general?" Onyx asked, keeping her voice light and non-accusing.**

 **Bloodstone looked back at her, startled. "You, of course."**

 **"** **Bloodstone…I'm not a general yet." Onyx pointed out with a small smile.**

 **"** **Doesn't really matter. To me, you might as well be." Bloodstone said, crossing her arms behind her back. "And I think a lot of us feel the same way. Even Zircon and Topaz seem different when they're around you. Like they respect you."**

 **Onyx looked out over the now busy camp at that.** ** _Is that true? Do they act in such a way that it's obvious they respect my decisions? Or is Bloodstone just trying to make me feel better?_**

 **"** **I bet it won't be long before Emerald's gems see it too. Maybe they already do." Bloodstone finished before giving a quick salute and heading off to help the others. Watching how the gems worked calmly together, she felt as if maybe Bloodstone was right on that.**


	6. Chapter 5

The Tests of Position: Day Two

 **By the time the sun was rising on the second day, Onyx's camp was a hive of activity. Between Aquamarine and Tourmaline, the training for the few water element gems was going strong. Topaz and Zircon were supervising a couple of different training formations while Kunzite was going back and forth between helping them and working with Bloodstone to keep an eye out for Jasper or Crystal. They had been working through since midnight after allowing Emerald's gems to settle in, leaving Onyx to drift around and make sure everything was going smoothly. But when noon came and went with no sign of either of the remaining competitors, Onyx put a pause on the training to call the four generals and Bloodstone back into her tent for another meeting.**

 **"** **Seems like the gems are picking things up fast." Onyx commented as she pulled out the rolled-up archaic map from the shelf to lay it on the table.**

 **"** **Tourmaline's done decent at training the element gems. We've got a couple that could control fire that took her lessons and they even seem to be doing well." Aquamarine said, staring down at the map.**

 **"** **There won't be any gem going in blind when we get to a fight now, that's for sure." Zircon added, crossing her arms smugly.**

 **"** **That's good news at least," Onyx let out a small sigh. "What of the gems that weren't cracked from yesterday, anything new there?"**

 **"** **There was one that returned. She joined in with the training about two hours ago." Kunzite reported, settling down next to Aquamarine. Onyx nodded before turning to Bloodstone.**

 **"** **What's the situation as far as telling where Crystal and Jasper are?"**

 **"** **With Jade's help, we've managed to pinpoint a couple of possibilities, but I'm still waiting to hear on the results of that." The dark red gem was still a bit hesitant around the other generals, but they were either ignoring her, or just not wanting to give any sort of reaction at all to the news.**

 **"** **How far out?" Topaz finally spoke up, turning to look at the smaller gem. Bloodstone gave a start, clearly caught off guard by the serious tone of the older general, before giving her head a shake to respond.**

 **"** **It's about two miles northeast of here. There's a small valley before it leads up to a large hill. We believe that they're either on the other side of that hill or waiting for us in the valley. I have a few gems checking both areas out now, so we should hear back soon."**

 **"** **In the meantime, we have to anticipate taking the fight to them rather than waiting here for them both to come to us." Onyx stated grimly. From what Bloodstone had said, she could guess at where it was from where they were, but even that might be off with the state of the map. Before they could discuss it further, a loud commotion started up outside.**

 **Kunzite and Aquamarine were on their feet and Onyx looked up in time to see Bloodstone quickly head outside, Topaz no more than a few steps behind her. Zircon looked over at Onyx, who nodded at the larger gem, and went out after them. Casting a glance at the two remaining generals, Onyx headed outside to see Bloodstone's unit surrounding a small amber colored gem. "Amber?! What's going on?" Onyx went over to stand at the edge of the group, a couple of sparks running down her arms.** ** _This new ability is a lot more useful than I expected. At least I know it's just us._** **She thought, missing part of the gem's response.**

 **"…** **But when we were getting ready to come out to deal with the remains of Emerald's group, Jasper told Crystal that her use had worn out and they started fighting. Onyx, you have to help, Jasper will** ** _destroy_** **Crystal!" Amber's eyes were wide and the gem was clearly rattled.**

 **"** **Completely destroying another gem goes against Yellow Diamond's word. Even a power-hungry gem like Jasper wouldn't risk the Diamond Authority's fury." Topaz pointed out, coming over to stand beside Onyx, her arms crossed.**

 **"** **Sounds more like this is a trap to me," Aquamarine added from behind her with a growl. "I say we just finish her and let the other two weaken themselves out before we finish this thing for good." There were a few murmurs of agreement before Zircon spoke up.**

 **"** **It's not really our call on this. Amber came here specifically for Onyx. If anyone has a right to this decision, it's her." Bloodstone was quick to agree to that and Kunzite did as well, though it was probably more for the fact that they were under the same Diamond together. At that, everyone's eyes shifted to Onyx as Amber dropped to one knee in a bow, her head lowering.**

 ** _This is either going to destroy me, or finish this by defeating Jasper…_** **Onyx thought as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, there was a hardened edge to them, though she didn't look any gem in the eye. "Gather the other gems. We're making a stand in Crystal's defense." She said stiffly. When the shock from the others around her kept them still, she looked over at Topaz with a half-glare. "Go!" The older general gave a quick salute and turned, heading deeper into the camp. Aquamarine and Kunzite were quick to follow while Zircon headed in the opposite direction to gather her gems from their training session.**

 **In a matter of minutes, every gem in camp had assembled and Bloodstone shifted hesitantly behind Onyx. "Should we stay here or…?"**

 **"** **Not this time. Everyone's coming, Bloodstone." Onyx replied before going over to Amber. "For what it's worth, this better not be a trap," she warned quietly before turning back to the large group of three-hundred-one gems.**

 **"** **I trust you all know that we're in this to fight. Now, the chance has come to prove ourselves. We go now to Crystal's side to help her fight off Jasper's gems, so that a true fight can finally end this entire mess and we can go back to Homeworld as the victors of gem history." She saw Aquamarine and Kunzite look at each other as the gems under Topaz, Zircon, and Bloodstone took up a cheer. "We're taking a bit of a risk here, as everyone is coming with us. This will be where we make a last stand, either at Crystal's camp or we take it to Jasper ourselves."**

 ** _I'll make sure I win this…for Emerald…and for all the gems here who have put their faith in me!_** **Onyx thought before turning back to Amber. "Lead the way." The amber gem nodded stiffly before turning at heading off at a run, obviously eager to get back to Crystal's side. Onyx was quick to follow and she heard the rest of the gems file out after her.**

 **Amber led them deeper into the actual forest, unlike when they had gone to Emerald's camp where it had been a straight shot north from theirs, heading east and following a small brook that had appeared to lead into the ground out of sight of their camp. They traveled in silence for a long time, all determined to get to Crystal's side to help so that she didn't end up like Emerald, until Amber brought them to the other side of a hill. Beyond the hill, battle cries were echoing around the area, and with the sun just reaching its sunset faze, it made the place look like it was covered in blood.**

 **Amber looked over at Onyx, wondering if she wanted to take the lead, but she waved Amber on, telling her to go ahead. If they went first, it might switch the tides and Crystal might start fighting them before they could offer their help. Amber blinked before turning back and heading up the hill as Onyx turned to look at the gems behind her. "Weapons ready." She said, reaching over for her own gem and pulling out one of her swords, twirling it once in her hand out of habit. When the others had gotten their weapons out, Onyx turned and headed up the hill after Amber.**

 **Once they were at the top of the hill, Onyx nearly stopped in her tracks. If the gems wearing the yellow bandannas and ribbons were any indication of numbers, Jasper's group easily doubled her own…and Crystal's from the way things seemed to be playing out. From beside her she heard one of the gems let out a growl.**

 **"** **She had that many this entire time? Yellow Diamond's pulling strings behind our backs with this!" Kunzite snapped, rounding on the ice blue general beside her. "Did you and Topaz know about this, Aquamarine?"**

 **"** **How by the stars were we supposed to know it would go like this?" Aquamarine snapped back, rounding on the slightly smaller gem. "Do you think we're high enough to know information like that?!"**

 **"** **We're generals working under a diamond. This sort of thing is supposed to be what we know!" Zircon was joining in now, backing Kunzite in the debate.**

 **"** **That's enough." Onyx hissed, stepping between them. "What was known and what is known are two different things right now. What I know is this," she looked from one side to the other, eyes narrowed. "If we don't get in there and help Crystal out** ** _now_** **then she's going to suffer the same fate as Emerald…if not worse." That seemed to get the other gems to focus and the generals nodded grimly. "Try not to let them break us apart too much and do what you can to help the gems without the yellow mark of Jasper."**

 **With that, Onyx turned and pointed her sword at the fighting below them. Closing her eyes for a moment, she started to channel her electricity into the blade, feeling the sword heat up in her hand from the energy. When she opened her eyes, she dug her sword into the ground, sending a small electrical shocks running down the hillside, breaking apart a couple of nearby fights, but it was enough to draw the attention of several nearby gems. "You know what to do. Go!" Onyx commanded, feeling a rush go through her at the words before pulling her sword out to join the surge of gems around the base of the hill.**

 **Onyx was set on trying to find Crystal in the mass of color and gems that shifted around her as she lashed out blindly at any gem that stood in her path. The only concern she held at that moment was making sure that another gem didn't face the same thing as Emerald did. Thankfully though, Crystal's plasma cannon found her first as she was sent onto the ground from the force of the blast. Giving her head a shake to clear it, she looked up, her vision still slightly blurred as the white gem she had tried to find wound up by finding her first, the cannon pointed directly at her head.**

 **"** **Great, you're in on this too? Jasper's not worth it, Onyx, just go back and we can settle this later." Crystal growled, though she made no attempt to move the cannon.**

 **"** **Crystal, we're here to help you. Let me up." Onyx said stiffly, her hand still resting on her sword. "You and I both know who the real enemy here is, just let me up and we can fight her together."**

 **"** **I don't need your…" Crystal started, but Onyx saw Jasper's spin dash behind the white gem and jumped, knocking her aside just as Crystal fired her cannon. The force between the two was enough to send them both back onto the ground just as Jasper skidded to a stop and turned to face them.**

 **"** **So, you finally showed up, Onyx? I wondered if you would come or if I'd have to hunt you down." Jasper sneered, stepping towards them, her new cape fluttering behind her.**

 **"** **You act as if you already have the spot." Onyx growled, getting off of Crystal to face Jasper, rage darkening her vision to where she just saw the orange-yellow striped gem. "After what you did to Emerald, I have a hard time believing that someone like you would even** ** _deserve_** **the spot." Behind her, she felt Crystal gathering energy for another blast and shifted slightly to move out of the way. But that alone sparked a chain of reactions.**

 **Jasper growled and revved up a quick spin dash before charging at them. Onyx barely had time to raise her sword before the muscular gem was forcing her into a forming crater in the ground. Crystal, once Jasper was rearing back a fist to punch through Onyx's guard, blasted another plasma strike on them both, sending them flying in opposite directions.**

 **"** **Onyx!" the black gem winced a bit as she sat up to see Tourmaline staring at her. Slightly behind her was another gem coming towards them, a bright yellow ribbon on her dress.**

 **"** **Get down!" Onyx barked, pushing herself up and raising her sword. Eyes wide, Tourmaline dropped to the ground as Onyx lashed out with a quick swipe, electricity crackling along the blade to the gem, causing the marked gem to poof in a small cloud of smoke. "You alright?" Onyx asked turning back to the pink-and-green gem. Just as she nodded and appeared about to speak, a yelp sounded from near the center of the fighting.**

 ** _Crystal!_** **Onyx felt a chill run through her and she pushed passed Tourmaline, back into the thick of the fighting. She managed to find Crystal in time to see Jasper lift her up by the head, her cat's eyes gleaming. And it seemed as if Jasper had been waiting for her as the larger gem looked over at Onyx.**

 **"** **Aw, looks like you were just too late." Jasper sneered at Onyx before slamming her helmet against Crystal's head, causing the white gem to poof. Thinking that Jasper would just leave it at that, Onyx took a step forward, intending to make the most of her being here by finishing this fight all together. What she saw next, however, made every inch of her freeze in horror. Giving a wicked smirk, Jasper dropped Crystal's gem before lifting her foot and smashing it down…right on top of the small white gem. There was a sickening chime of a shattered gem before Jasper stepped back, a wicked smile taunting her to do something. But all Onyx could do was stare in horror at the dust and shards that were the remains of Crystal. She barely registered that Jasper and her gems were pulling back, leaving the scene of destruction behind. It wasn't until someone came over and put a hand on her shoulder that she jumped and turned to look at the group around her.**

 **"** **Onyx…where's Crystal?" Amber's voice sounded distant, even though she was right there. Beside her stood a dark gold gem with red stripes.**

 **"** **I'm sorry…I was too late…" Onyx said quietly, looking back over at the shattered remains of the gem.**

 **"** **Jasper…destroyed her?" The other gem hissed, her crimson eyes wide as her hands clenched at her sides.**

 **"** **Surely Pink Diamond can fix her…right, Onyx?" It sounded like Bloodstone who spoke up, but Onyx wasn't sure as she dropped to the ground.**

 ** _Seeing and hearing about a gem being shattered are two completely different things_** **, she realized dully, a couple of sparks running over her as her sword finally vanished in a shimmer of light. "Is this…what it's really like?" Onyx asked hoarsely.**

 **"** **At times…yes." Topaz spoke up slowly. The hesitation in the group behind her was starting to break through the dull fog of her mind and she closed her eyes, trying to gather her wits about her.**

 ** _If there was ever a time to show strength…it's gotta be now._** **Onyx thought, pushing herself shakily to her feet. "Does anyone know where Jasper went?" She asked quietly, not looking at the other gems around her. There was a pregnant pause before the red-striped gem spoke up.**

 **"** **Amber and I could lead you there. We had to meet there when we…when we went after Emerald." Onyx turned her head to look at the other gem. "I'm Goldstone." She said with a salute.**

 **"** **Good." Onyx took a deep breath before facing Amber and Goldstone. "If it's alright with you two, I think it might be better for us to recover here for a moment before going after Jasper."**

 **"** **Only if we can come as well." Goldstone responded, crossing her arms behind her back. "No gem, no matter what test or whatever this is, deserves that without cause." Onyx just nodded before turning towards Aquamarine and Kunzite.**

 **"** **I know the other gems are still back at the other camp. Take a couple of gems and gather them to bring them here. If they come back by tomorrow, they can join us in fighting Jasper." The two generals gave a quick salute before gathering some gems together to head back.**

 **Turning back to the others, she raised her voice for them to hear her. "For now, we'll be resting here. By tomorrow, we should be able to end this fight with Jasper once and for all, leaving our mark in gem history. Do what you need to to prepare." Looking up at the sky for a moment, she hid her surprise at the fact that night was already coloring the sky. "We'll be out by daybreak."**

 **With that, she dismissed the gems, letting them do what they felt necessary for the coming battle while she headed for where Crystal had her tent. After everything that had happened, she just needed a moment to herself, away from prying eyes.** ** _I'll call the generals together a bit after midnight so we can work something out._** **Onyx thought, letting her shock finally make itself known as she sat on the floor and curled her knees up to her chest.**


	7. Chapter 6

So with Day Three, I've decided to break it up into two parts. I like keeping chapters around the shorter end because I know all too well the frustration of getting part ways through an epic story but have to stop in the middle of it because life just loves throwing curve balls. So, this is the lead up to the big fight with Jasper for the most part. There's still a couple of things that will be clarified, but that'll come at the start before the action picks up. By the end of the next chapter, you'll have your winner. Alright, enough of me blabbing. Happy Reading!

* * *

Tests of Position: Day Three – Preparations

 **A couple of sparks ran down her back as midnight came and went, alerting her that there was someone outside the tent. Vaguely, she knew that she needed to go and at least make an appearance, but seeing Crystal's gem shatter before her eyes had hurt more than she had ever anticipated. It hadn't been done in honor like it was always told in war stories…but rather in cold-blood just because Jasper wanted to make an impression to terrify her. The bad thing about it was that it was working.**

 **"** **Onyx?" The tent flap fluttered as the gem came in, her steps hesitant but determined. Onyx looked over her shoulder to see Topaz stop a little bit away, giving a quick salute when she saw her looking.**

 **"** **Topaz? Is something wrong?" Even her voice sounded half defeated right now and Onyx growled mentally at that. Topaz flinched a bit, the older general showing reluctance for the first time since this event began.**

 **"** **I…I wanted to apologize. You were right from the start about Jasper, and all I wanted to do was do what Yellow Diamond told me to." Onyx turned fully to face her, a grim smile forcing its way out.**

 **"** **You were the one that was supposed to betray the group, weren't you?" Onyx said dully, though there was a bit of a lighter tone to her voice now. Topaz looked startled at that before lowering her head.**

 **"** **How did you know?" the general asked quietly after a moment of silence.**

 **"** **You always seemed to be against everything I said. Plus going behind my back to help Jasper against Emerald was the more definite giveaway. Had Zircon not said you went to Emerald's camp, it might have been harder to pick out what was going on." Onyx relaxed slightly, leaning her head back for a moment before pushing herself up. "But here's my question…after all's said and done, you never really did it. Why?"**

 **"** **After seeing what's happened and just how far Jasper is determined to go…I figured that the rules laid in place weren't really set. And seeing as how there's now one cracked and one shattered contestant, I just want this to end as much as the next gem." Topaz sighed, giving her head a slow shake. "The only one who can do that is you, Onyx."**

 **"** **That's just it, though. Was that even all the gems that Jasper has under her control? If there's any more, we're done." Onyx looked away sadly. "There might not be any way to fight against numbers like that."**

 **"** **But you have the strength of not two, but** ** _six_** **generals behind you. Something that was never accounted to happen in gem history." Topaz insisted, her eyes burning. "You can't just give in, Onyx. You have to make a stand for all of us. You have to do it. If for nothing else, than to keep Jasper from getting the position and destroying us all."**

 **"** **Topaz is right, what about Emerald and Crystal? Do they mean so little to you now that you would just turn your back on them?" Topaz jumped, clearly not expecting another gem to come by as Zircon pushed her way in as well.**

 ** _They're both right…I've done enough to make a mark in gem history by gathering nearly all the squads under one group. And if anything, I owe it to Emerald and Crystal to see this through and make sure that Jasper doesn't get the position of High General!_** **Onyx thought, clenching her hands into fists. Taking a deep breath, Onyx looked over at Topaz and Zircon, feeling the fire of battle start to burn within her gem. "Gather the other generals. We have plans to make." The two gave a quick salute before turning and heading out to gather the others. Placing a hand on the pocket that still held Emerald's gemstone, she closed her eyes before opening them to pull out some of the scrolls in search of a map.**

 **After pulling out a fifth scroll and unrolling it, she finally managed to find a map, its same archaic design no more help than the one she had back in her tent. Just as she laid it on the table, the generals came in as well as Bloodstone. For a moment, she wondered who had thought to bring the dark red gem as well, but pushed the thought aside as she stood straight.**

 **"** **Good, everyone's here. First things first, we need to understand a bit of the layout that leads up to Jasper's camp." She turned to Amber and Goldstone. "Can you two give us a quick run-down so that we're all up to speed?"**

 **"** **Jasper's actually located more in the mountains right now." Amber leaned over and pointed at the far side of the map. Just before the area ended, there was a small grey section to indicate the edge of the mountains. "It's located not too far off the path that leads up, but unless you know the area, it's hard to see."**

 **"** **Guess she would need a lot of room if she has double the gems any of the others had." Kunzite muttered, crossing her arms.**

 **"** **That also explains why we've never found her camp or any traces of it. The mountains were the last place we thought to look." Bloodstone added thoughtfully.**

 **"** **It was the last place any of us would have suspected since it's barely on the maps." Aquamarine added in agreement with a huff.**

 **"** **So the question remains, do we risk going up there or wait for her to come down here?" Topaz asked, crossing her arms.**

 **"** **We don't have enough knowledge of the mountains to be able to find her, but that doesn't mean we're waiting for her to come to us here." Onyx pointed to a small wooded area at the foot of the mountain. "What about this area? What's it like?"**

 **Goldstone and Amber looked at where Onyx was pointing. "It's not heavily wooded. The trees are fairly far apart." Goldstone said with a slight frown. "Probably not the best place for an ambush if that's what you're thinking."**

 **"** **Noted." Onyx nodded at Goldstone. "But what if that was the lure?"**

 **"** **What?" Amber wasn't the only one questioning where Onyx's mind was going. Kunzite was staring at the map as if trying to find what Onyx had seen, Aquamarine had her head tilted slightly, looking at Bloodstone, who merely shrugged, Goldstone was staring at her as if she had grown a second head, and Zircon had her eyes narrowed as if she had a vague idea what Onyx was thinking, but wasn't entirely sure if they were on the same page. Only Topaz smirked, grasping what she was wanting to do.**

 **"** **You would think of that, wouldn't you?" Topaz shook her head before coming over to join Amber and Goldstone at the map.**

 **"** **You mind filling us in?" Amber asked, looking between Topaz and Onyx.**

 **"** **With what Jasper's shown us, she's greedy and power-hungry. Right now, I'm sure she knows the gems that were meant to betray each group," Onyx looked over at Topaz who nodded, "if we have those gems meet Jasper at the foot of the hill, we can get them to lead her to where we are** ** _supposed_** **to be while we stage a series of strikes along the way."**

 **"** **Like she wouldn't get suspicious after we do those strikes?" Goldstone growled, looking up to glare at Onyx.**

 **"** **That's why it would be more from Emerald's and Crystal's squads. Some gems are bound to have fallen loyal to them both. It's not uncommon for gems to lash out if the one they respect takes a fall." Topaz defended, looking over at Goldstone.**

 **"** **Are you saying that's what's happened with you?" Goldstone challenged, getting to her feet to match Topaz's height.**

 **"** **Onyx is definitely someone I've never encountered in my life." Topaz said calmly, matching Goldstone's stare evenly.**

 **"** **That's not answering the question!" Goldstone tossed her hands up. "You know what? Fine, go through with this crazy plan. It's your shattering, not mine." With that, the golden-red gem stormed out of the tent, knocking aside the flap before it fluttered behind her.**

 **"** **Maybe I should go talk to her…" Onyx said, heading for the flap as well until Topaz put a hand on her shoulder.**

 **"** **Leave her be. She was more loyal to Jasper from the get-go." Topaz said stiffly. Amber let out a low growl at that.**

 **"** **So she was the one who…?" Amber didn't need to finish that to know what they were asking. Topaz nodded grimly and Amber got to her feet to chase after the other general.**

 **"** **Amber," Onyx moved so that she stood in the furious gem's path, "leaver her be. It's not worth it to start a fight now. Besides…" she looked back at Topaz, "I never said that was the full plan. Even if she goes to Jasper, it won't put us at a disadvantage."**

 **"** **You knew, didn't you?" Zircon asked, staring at Onyx with wide eyes.**

 **"** **With that, it was more of a guess. I knew there had to be one, and I know Amber enough to know how she acts. So I took a stab at saying Goldstone was the one meant to betray Crystal." Onyx shrugged before crossing her arms behind her back and returning to the map.**

 **"** **Hard to believe all this time we had a strategical genius in Pink Diamond's squad that we never even knew about." Kunzite shook her head in disbelief.**

 **"** **Mark my words Onyx, if you lose this contest, we're making you a general." Amber added firmly.**

 **"** **That has to be the smartest thing you've said all night." Aquamarine added with a nod before turning to face Onyx. "I'll admit, I was supposed to go too, but after what I saw her do to Emerald, I chose against it. Cracking a gem was never in the plans, and Jasper broke that code not once, but twice. I'd rather fight by your side, Onyx."**

 **"** **Thanks, Aquamarine. And we might still be able to –." Onyx trailed off, feeling a wave of sparks go down her back.**

 **"** **Onyx? What's wrong?" Kunzite asked, as the tension in the room spiked. But Onyx wasn't really listening to what was going on around her.**

 ** _There's definitely more than one out there…but why does this feel different from the other times? It's almost like they're afraid or something…_** **Onyx broke from her thoughts when Topaz came over and put a hand on her shoulder.**

 **"** **What'd you pick up?" Topaz asked quietly, causing the others to look around in confusion.**

 **"** **There's a lot of them coming here…but I don't think Jasper's with them…" Onyx blinked then looked over at Topaz grimly. "It's almost like they're terrified of something…this might be the group that was meant to betray Jasper."**

 **"** **How do you know for certain?" Amber asked, narrowing her eyes.**

 **"** **That's the hard part. Honestly, I don't know." Onyx shook her head before facing Amber. "It's a new ability that's started coming up…it's almost like it's an energy field for gems. I can sort of sense them if they get within range."**

 **"** **That's how you knew about the arrow…" Zircon hissed, her eyes wide. When Onyx nodded, the bulky general shook her head. "If I seriously didn't know better, I'd say you're as symmetrical as they come."**

 **"** **No kidding. But how far out is this other group if you could pick up on it?" Bloodstone asked. The room went silent as Onyx closed her eyes, focusing back on the group. After a few moments, she looked around at the others.**

 **"** **I believe they're waiting for us to appear before they come into view." Onyx finally said with a sigh.**

 **"** **Then I guess we'd best go and greet them to see what they want." Zircon said, crossing her arms behind her back as Onyx nodded and headed outside. When Onyx pushed aside the tent flap, Opal was standing not too far from the entrance as if she had just come up as they were starting to leave.**

 **"** **Onyx," the small gem gave a salute and Onyx nodded to acknowledge it before the dark blue gem continued, "There's a group just outside camp that say it's important that they speak to you."**

 **"** **Very well. Send them in, let's see what they want." Onyx said, waving a hand to dismiss the smaller gem. Opal gave another salute before turning around and running back in the direction she came.**

 **"** **You're keeping it a secret then?" Zircon asked, coming over to stand beside Onyx as Topaz joined them on her other side.**

 **"** **Until I can learn to truly control it. I don't want the other gems watching my every move to see if there's someone nearby. They need to know how to do that for themselves." Onyx replied, crossing her hands behind her back as Kunzite, Aquamarine, and Amber stayed back behind her while Bloodstone went over to stand in front of them to meet Opal as she came back into the camp with a large group of gems. If Onyx hadn't known better, she'd have suspected that the gem leading them was one of the contestants in this fight. Then again, it seemed as if anything was possible at this point.**

 **"** **You can't be Onyx…" The gem in leading the large group in frowned slightly, looking Bloodstone over, pale blue-grey eyes narrowing.**

 **"** **So what if I'm not? What are you doing here?" Bloodstone demanded, crossing her arms and narrowing her own eyes. As tensions peaked and the blue-grey gem held out one arm, the gem on her hand glinting briefly before a plasma cannon formed.**

 **"** **Hold it!" Onyx pushed her way forward to step in front of Bloodstone before the red gem could pull her weapon out, sparks running down her arm. "Who are you, and why are you here?" She pulled one of her swords out to point it at the newcomer, tilting the blade so that the sharp end was angled towards her gem.**

 **"** **My name is Agate. I'm the one that's set to join you, Onyx." The icy gem replied as she lowered her weapon, allowing the cannon to fade in a sparkle of light, holding up her hands to show her gem in surrender.**

 **"** **Quite the group you have with you." Onyx said, slowly lowering her sword, though she kept tense. Agate had been nervous about getting here, and she wasn't letting her guard down in case it was because Jasper was nearby that had the ice blue-grey gem so jumpy on the way over.**

 **"** **Two-hundred-thirty-seven strong." Agate replied, turning her head to wave a couple of gems forward. One was a dark brown gem with lighter brown eyes and dappled brown hair, dressed in a brown jumpsuit with dark brown gloves. The other was dark red gem like Bloodstone, only with white stripes and dark blue hair and dressed in a red robe with a dark blue sash that looked more black than blue.** **"** **This is Wurtzite," she indicated the dark brown gem, "and Spinel." She nodded to the dark red one. "These two are probably some of the most advanced gems in the group. They can help you go over a battle formation to help fight off the rest of Jasper's gems." Agate finished, turning back to Onyx.**

 **"** **How do we know that you're not here to be a spy for Jasper?" Aquamarine asked, crossing her arms. Around them, gems began echoing the question as well as adding a couple of accusations about Jasper getting the unfair advantage. None of the gems from Jasper's group were denying it either; how could they when the evidence was there?**

 **"** **Enough!" Onyx felt sparks run down her legs and scatter along the ground as she looked at the gems around her. The group fell silent, watching her closely as she closed her eyes, taking a second to get her thoughts together.**

 **If Agate's gems were really on their side, it would even the field out rather than them going in at such odds. As such, Wurtzite and Spinel would be even more help by giving them pointers on how Jasper's group fought, which would be a boost to every one of her gems currently. But the fear that she had picked up earlier was still bothering her: what were they afraid of, disappointing? Or getting caught by Jasper?**

 **"** **Topaz, Zircon, Agate. You three come with me." Onyx said, turning on her heels to head back into the tent. "Bloodstone. You, Kunzite, and Aquamarine make sure that they don't go anywhere." Holding open the tent flap, she beckoned Agate to come forward. The icy blue-grey gem hesitated a moment before going inside, quickly followed by Zircon and Topaz before Onyx ducked in as well.**

 **"** **You don't seem like you trust us…" Agate said once Onyx was inside and the tent flap had closed behind her.**

 **"** **Because there's a couple of things I need to be sure of before I say yes to your offer." Onyx crossed her arms behind her back as she slowly started to circle the gem, truly noticing for the first time since she got here the gem that was located on the back of her left hand.** ** _So she's one of the other few that made the cut for general with a misplaced gem…._** **Onyx thought briefly before turning to face her head on.**

 **"** **What are you so afraid of?" Onyx asked, keeping her eyes locked on Agate's. Topaz and Zircon seemed a bit started to hear that and from the corner of her eye, she saw the two generals watching the other with new interest.**

 **"** **How did you…?" Agate's eyes were wide, not even trying to hide that she was nervous about something.**

 **"** **That's not important right now. What is important is how much of a threat are you posing to this group." Onyx circled Agate once more, not even sure what she was attempting to accomplish with the movement. "I need to know why you're so nervous about being here…. Is it because you betrayed Jasper?"**

 **"** **You haven't exactly given me a reason to be calm." Agate retorted as Onyx rounded on her again.**

 **"** **She has a bit of a point there, Onyx." Zircon pointed out, though Onyx barely heard her.**

 **"** **If it was me, then you wouldn't have been nervous on the way here. Just when you got to the camp." Onyx pointed out, crossing her arms behind her back. Agate looked paralyzed from that as the black gem pulled back a bit to let the words sink in. "And I would rather see us outnumbered to crippled from within." She added quietly.**

 **"** **You know, most in your position wouldn't even care about something like that. Numbers win wars, Onyx." Agate said after a long moment of silence.**

 **"** **Not always. It just depends on the mind driving them." Onyx smirked reaching into her pocket and pulling out Emerald's cracked gem. "If there's one thing I learned from her…it's that." She added quietly before putting the gem away, doing her best to hide the wince from the size of the larger crack in the dark green gem before looking back at Topaz, "I just needed a bit of reminding." Topaz gave a nod in acknowledgement before Agate spoke up again.**

 **"** **You really are a strange one, Onyx. There's not many in this army that have that line of thinking anymore." Agate said, dropping to her knees on the floor and lowering her head. "You really want to protect them…"**

 **"** **As long as I'm able, yes." Onyx agreed gently, crouching so that she was in front of Agate.**

 **"** **That's why more gems stayed rather than betray her." Onyx looked back to see Topaz come over to join her. "You see it now, don't you?"**

 **"** **No doubt. And here I thought Jasper was the one destined for the spot. That's why I was afraid. These always wind up by influencing the decisions later in the military, and I was afraid to carry out my order to betray Jasper since it meant that I'd probably be destroyed for it in the end." Agate looked up at Onyx, her gaze locked on the gem on the side of her neck. "We're alike in some ways, but far different in others, aren't we?"**

 **"** **In a sense, yes." Onyx stood and offered a hand to Agate to help her up. Agate took it and Onyx pulled her to her feet, the two of them staring at each other for a long moment before Onyx spoke up again. "So we have a deal?"**

 **"** **We have a deal." Agate agreed before pulling back to give Onyx a salute. "General Agate reporting…and ready to help end this fight."**

 **"** **Good to know." Onyx nodded, feeling Topaz's and Zircon's tensions fade slightly. "Now, let's get to it. I do believe there's work to be done." With that said, Onyx headed back outside, relieved to see that none of the gems seemed to be missing from the group that came over.**

 **"** **That's that then." Onyx turned to see Bloodstone come over, the red gem giving a quick salute.**

 **"** **Agate will be helping us prepare for the fight against Jasper." Onyx nodded before stepping aside so that the icy blue-grey gem could go to her group. "Once everything is settled, I want to talk with everyone on the full plan, seeing as how Goldstone will no longer be holding that information." She added quietly.**

 **"** **Are we really going to be using the woods?" Zircon asked, coming up to stand behind them, Topaz joining them on her other side.**

 **"** **Not really no. I was just trying to get a rise out of one of the other generals." Onyx looked over at Topaz, "Sorry for having you take the bait like that."**

 **"** **You never cease to amaze me, Onyx." Topaz shook her head slowly. "And after the frustration I put you through, I'd say we're even on that now."**

 **"** **There's not much time left to prepare. We should get back together now." Bloodstone said quietly before looking over at Onyx. "Should I round up the others?" Onyx looked over at where Agate was giving a few orders to the other gems, splitting them into groups for the session.**

 **"** **Wait until Agate has things under control before gathering the others. I'm going to go back over the scrolls and see if I can find a map of the mountains. If I can't find one, we'll need another plan." Onyx turned back, slipping between Zircon and Topaz to head back into the tent as the sun started to rise on the final day.**


	8. Chapter 7

I am so sorry that I haven't uploaded anything for so long. Fight scenes are not my strong point, and the length of "Day Three" has gone on for quite more than I originally intended it to. But fear not, the Snowflake Saga is still going strong. Next time will be "Day Four" and the final confrontation with Jasper. For those of you who are interested, _Snowflakes in the Night_ should have an upload here fairly soon, possibly even later today.

I own nothing of Steven Universe. The only thing I claim is this story, it's plot, and the characters I've made up. I'll see you at the bottom.

* * *

Tests of Position: Day Three – Surprise

 **All that looking had been for naught. The best look at the mountains was just the edges located on the few area maps left in the tent.**

 **"** **We can't waste any more time with this. We have to get moving before Jasper comes to us first." Onyx sighed, hating the fact that they would be going in blind with this, but Aquamarine had a point. They couldn't stay still for much longer if they wanted to gain any advantage here.**

 **"** **We still don't have a plan." Kunzite looked over at Onyx with a slight frown as she pulled back from the small pile of scrolls she had been searching.**

 **"** **We're not beaten yet. There's still a plan we can use." Onyx stood and turned to face the other generals and Bloodstone. The others looked a bit confused for a moment before Zircon spoke up.**

 **"** **I thought we were scrapping the ambush plan…"**

 **"** **We are. But thanks to Agate, we have another option with that." Onyx nodded to the general who had turned her back on Jasper.**

 **"** **What do you mean?" Agate asked, getting to her feet as well, arms crossed behind her back.**

 **"** **If this is what I think you're doing, it might be a bit too advanced for most of this group's level of training." Topaz pointed out, her eyes narrowing slightly.**

 **"** **Most of the training we've done with them is more advanced than what they would have known. This won't be much more of a stretch." Onyx began to pace, causing Amber and Bloodstone to scramble back out of her way. "Of course, it might get a bit crazy with the numbers, but it might be our best chance."**

 **"** **Well, stop leaving us in the dark then!" Amber snapped, getting to her feet. "What is it that we can do?"**

 **A spark ran down Onyx's back before she could reply and she tensed, thinking it was Jasper already here that she had picked up on. Ignoring the cries from the others, Onyx pushed her way forward and out into the open, looking around. A few of the nearby gems training paused curiously and gave a salute, but Onyx just let it slide as she headed towards the edge of camp.**

 **"** **You've got some nerve showing up here after running off to Jasper." Onyx froze for a moment as she recognized Opal's voice.**

 **"** **You think I left willingly? Ha! What a joke."**

 **"** **What, you saying that Onyx was the one who told you to go? Nice try, she would have told us if that was part of a plan." That sounded like Sunstone. Great, those two together would be hard enough to get past for any gem; at least that meant that whoever it was wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.**

 **"** **Onyx, what's going on?" She jumped a bit as Topaz and Zircon reached her side. Bloodstone, having followed behind them, headed out towards the voices to see what was going on.**

 **"** **Honestly, I'm not sure…" Onyx trailed off, following after Bloodstone. At the top of the hill, Onyx narrowed her eyes a bit as she saw the lithe form of Goldstone standing with her arms crossed in front of her as she glared at Sunstone.**

 **"** **Look who's come crawling back. Our own little traitor." Bloodstone scoffed, stalking forward to join the others.**

 **"** **Oh, great. Our little wanna-be general." Goldstone groaned, rolling her eyes.**

 **"** **At least I have a real position in this fight." Bloodstone spat. "Serving under Onyx at least has some honor to it rather than being the hated traitor of the group." Onyx blinked at that, casting a quick glance at Zircon and Topaz.**

 **"** **She speaks for more than just herself on that. Rest assured, Onyx. Most of us feel that way. It's why we're here." Topaz nodded to her.**

 **"** **Different to a fault." Zircon smirked before her expression turned grim once more. "So what's the call? What do we do with her?" With that, Goldstone finally seemed to notice that she was there as her gaze flew upwards.**

 **"** **There you are, Onyx." Goldstone pushed her way past Opal and Sunstone, attempting to make her way up the hill, but Bloodstone grabbed her and pulled her back to level ground. "Let go of me!" She snapped, attempting to pull free as Sunstone grabbed her other arm and Opal stepped in front of her, looking like she was about ready to spring.**

 **"** **Hold it." Onyx said firmly, heading down the hill to them. Zircon and Topaz were quick to follow her and she could feel that Aquamarine, Kunzite, Amber, and Agate were gathering on the hill to watch as well. Once she was in front of Goldstone, she crossed her arms over her chest. "You left."**

 **"** **All I did was go and check on Jasper, that's it. You said it yourself that we needed to know what she was up to." Goldstone said in exasperation.**

 **"** **Went to check up or check IN?" Bloodstone growled out, tightening her grip on the general for a moment.**

 **"** **Check up, I swear!" Goldstone yelped, struggling to pull free of her captors.**

 **"** **Bloodstone, Sunstone, let her go for a moment." Onyx held up a hand, giving her fingers a snap. Bloodstone looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, and Sunstone was looking at her in undisguised shock. After a couple of seconds, they let Goldstone go, causing the latter to stagger a bit before letting out a huff of annoyance. "You better have a good excuse." Onyx threatened, a couple of sparks going down her back and scattering on the ground below.**

 **"** **Look, I know it seems like I left you, but it was the only way I could be sure of anything." Goldstone said quickly, her eyes widening when the sparks crackled near her feet. "Jasper's furious and at a huge disadvantage now that Agate's left. She lost more than half of her group, if we go now, we have a chance at setting things off. You have the advantage in numbers now, Onyx."**

 **"** **What do you mean?" Onyx tensed, narrowing her eyes at the red-and-gold gem. "Just how many does Jasper supposedly have left?"**

 **"** **There's only a couple hundred left at most." Goldstone said quickly, her eyes wide. "Agate took more than what was planned, supposedly."**

 **"** **That true?" Onyx was glad that Topaz was quick on the draw with the question.**

 **"** **Not entirely. I told Blue Diamond I would take about half." Even from the small distance, Onyx could hear the frown in the other general's tone.**

 **"** **About?! You took far more than…." Onyx stepped forward, pointing the tip of one of her swords squarely against Goldstone's chest, effectively breaking her off.**

 **"** **You said you didn't care what happened to us before you left. Why have you really come crawling back, Goldstone?" Onyx questioned, lowering her sword a bit to allow Goldstone to talk.**

 **"** **I know it really does seem hard to believe, but you have to trust me. I know what's happened here, and if you don't listen, it'll destroy you." Goldstone breathed, her gaze flicking from Onyx to the sword at her chest and back again.**

 **"** **You haven't exactly given me a reason to." Onyx warned, allowing a few sparks to run the length of the blade, forcing Goldstone to flinch back. "When you give me a solid reason, then we'll talk." With that, Onyx stepped back, gave her sword a twirl before allowing it to vanish once more. "Bloodstone, Sunstone, Opal. Take her to one of the tents and guard her. She doesn't leave our sight until this matter is resolved."**

 **"** **Wait, WHAT?!" Goldstone squawked as the three grabbed for her once again. "Onyx, no! You don't understand!" But Onyx had closed her eyes and ears to what the other general was trying to say.**

 **"** **Was that really wise?" Zircon asked, coming over to Onyx once the four gems had left earshot.**

 **"** **I would rather her not be able to get back to Jasper to tell her anything else." Onyx said calmly. "If we keep her here, we might be able to pull out something useful before we go in after Jasper."**

 **"** **And if what Goldstone said was true?" Topaz's voice sounded behind her.**

 **"** **Then everything's going to get that much more complicated." Onyx sighed, looking over at Agate. "Just how many over half did you take?"**

 **"** **A couple hundred. Jasper's leadership is so harsh in those mountains it wasn't hard to gather the numbers…and then some." Agate replied, earning a snort from Aquamarine.**

 **"** **I can imagine." Amber added with a grimace. "Just seeing her on the battlefield was enough to get that feeling."**

 **"** **For now, I think we need to head back to camp and make sure all the gems understand the moves and steps needed for this fight." Onyx put in before the conversation could go any farther. Just imagining the upcoming fight was a chilling thought for her as she pictured both Crystal and Emerald. When the others nodded their agreement, Onyx waved a hand to dismiss them. But as she watched them head up to check on the gems under their command, one thought kept nagging at the back of her mind.**

 **Just what had Goldstone meant and why had she come back?**

 **Even Topaz had said that Goldstone's loyalty had been to Jasper the entire time. Was this an attempt of Jasper at trying to trap her into something? Or was there really something worse going on within her own camp? Jasper wasn't the type to just sit it out and wait for something to happen, this trial had proved that if nothing else.**

 **Giving her head a shake to clear it, Onyx headed back into the camp, wanting to clear a few matters up for herself on this matter. And there was only one way to do that. Thankfully, it was easy enough to spot the tent they had chosen as Goldstone's prison. Standing in a triangle formation, eyes trained on the tent, Bloodstone, Sunstone, and Opal were set up on the very edge of the camp. Opal, at the tent entrance, was the first to spot her and gave a quick salute, quickly followed by the other two.**

 **"** **Good job, you three." Onyx nodded in approval of the location. "Everything calm?"**

 **"** **She put up a bit of fuss when we got her in there, but she calmed down quickly enough." Bloodstone reported proudly. "Don't worry, Onyx. She won't be going anywhere until you say so."**

 **"** **Very well. I want to have a few more words with her before deciding what our next move will be. Make sure that no one disturbs us." When the three gave a nod, Onyx pushed her way into the tent.**

 **"** **Onyx." Goldstone gave a mock salute from where she sat in the center of the tent, eyes narrowed at her. "Have you come to your conclusions yet?"**

 **"** **You know, for a gem on thin ice, you're not really making the best case for yourself." Onyx said dryly, slowly starting to circle the general. Goldstone's eyes followed her movements for a while before she let out a sigh.**

 **"** **You've already made up your mind on who to trust, why bother?"**

 **"** **For the record, I haven't yet. You've thrown a couple of my ideas out the window by even coming back here." Onyx frowned, "And what you were trying to say earlier…what is it that you think would destroy me, and why would you care now?"**

 **"** **When I mentioned shattering before, I didn't mean it to be literal." Goldstone stood then. Her gaze flickered to the tent entrance before back to Onyx. "Is it just us? No one else out there listening in?" She hissed quietly.**

 **Startled by the quiet words, Onyx cast out her senses. So far it was just them with Bloodstone, Sunstone, and Opal still on guard duty and she knew she could trust those three at least. And in doing so, she had picked up on Goldstone's change of attitude. "Just the five of us. What is going on with you, Goldstone?"**

 **"** **Jasper's not going to come to you, Onyx. Agate being here was planned all along." Goldstone whispered. "If you go to Jasper, you and the rest of this group are going to be destroyed before you know what's happening. The real reason Jasper's furious? Agate has taken too long and she hates waiting."**

 **"** **Agate's been helping us get ready to fight Jasper." Onyx stated firmly, pausing in her circling to glare at Goldstone. "Had you not left, you would have known that."**

 **"** **Come on, Onyx, just think for a moment." Goldstone groaned. "Blue Diamond said you were a smart gem. Didn't it seem a bit odd that Agate had so many gems with her when she came? Didn't any of that seem off?"**

 ** _She's with Blue Diamond? Guess if I manage to get that spot I'll need to know what gem answers to what Diamond…._** **Onyx thought, pausing as she let Goldstone's words sink in. Now that she thought about it more, it really didn't make sense. Nor did the fact that Crystal had three generals reporting to her, unless….**

 **"** **You were the general that betrayed Jasper for Crystal." Onyx said quietly. "With Jasper's numbers, she needed three generals to keep order."**

 **"** **What finally clued you in?" Goldstone asked, crossing her arms, her expression reminding her a bit of how Topaz had acted at the start of the trial.**

 **"** **What you reminded me of…and thinking back now, remembering that Crystal had three generals with her side: You, Kunzite, and Amber. And before you say anything, yes, I found out about that." Onyx said when Goldstone opened her mouth, only to close it again.**

 **"** **When?" Goldstone blinked.**

 **"** **Topaz has been a big help in locating the ones meant to betray the groups. Though she mentioned that you were specifically more loyal to Jasper from the get-go." Onyx started pacing once more, this time just going back and forth.**

 **"** **At first, I was, yes." Goldstone admitted. "But Yellow Diamond told us all that no gem was to be shattered. Just because Tanzanite is still in the game, doesn't change that rule."**

 **"** **We need a new plan of attack." Onyx said tightly, closing her eyes for a moment before turning to look back at the tent entrance. "Opal!" The small dark blue gem scrambled in, casting a glare at Goldstone and tensing, ready to spring into action. But Onyx simply held out a hand, blocking the smaller gem from attacking. "There's been a bit of a change here. Get Topaz and Zircon over here." She ordered.**

 **"** **What? But what about…" Opal trailed off when Onyx gave her a hard stare. "Yes ma'am." She gave a salute and left.**

 **"** **Topaz and Zircon? Why just those two?" Goldstone asked, frowning slightly.**

 **"** **Because those two have been with me since this started and I trust those two completely." Onyx responded quietly. "If what you say is true, we need to be careful from here on out on what we do." Goldstone nodded at that as the tent flap pushed open once more, revealing a confused Zircon and an annoyed Topaz.**

 **"** **Onyx, what's going on? I thought you said you wanted us to be training." Zircon huffed, casting a suspicious glare at Goldstone. Topaz remained silent, her eyes scanning over the situation for herself.**

 **"** **Because there's been some troubling news in regards to our current situation." Onyx began, turning to face the two generals. "And if what Goldstone says is true, there's about to be bad news for us."**

 **"** **You're actually taking her word in this after she left us for Jasper?" Zircon scoffed.**

 **"** **It's not as simple as that. It's the fact that what has happened has made more sense the more I think about it." Onyx said, starting to pace before rounding on Topaz. "There's reason to believe that Agate is more of a threat than I originally thought."**

 **Topaz met her gaze with a level stare before looking away with a slight smirk. "So you've figured it out then." It wasn't a question, but it was all the answer she needed as Zircon rounded on Topaz.**

 **"** **What are you talking about?" Zircon snapped, hands clenching into fists at her side. "You and your secrets, I swear, you want us all nothing more than –."**

 **"** **Zircon, calm down." Onyx stepped between them. "Topaz couldn't tell us everything, otherwise the test would be pointless. There are some things I had to discover for myself." Zircon let out a low growl before turning away with another huff. "But the fact remains that now we have a new plan to create and not a lot of time to do it." She looked over at Topaz. "Between the four of us, we should be able to even turn Jasper's plan against her."**

 **"** **Four? You actually want me in on this?" Goldstone asked dryly from behind her.**

 **"** **If you can lay off the sarcasm for more than two minutes, yes. Right now we are the only ones to know of this." Onyx said heavily, casting a final hard look at the red-and-gold general. "So let's get to work."**

* * *

So there we have it. Onyx now has a new threat to deal with. And with the fight against Jasper growing ever closer, we'll just have to see what she'll do next. Thank you all so much for reading this story, even after being absent for so long! See you all in the next chapter. Happy Reading!


End file.
